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TULUM 


T  U  L  IJ  M 


AN  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  STUDY  OF 
THE  EAST  COAST  OF  YUCATAN 


BY 

S.  K.  LOTHROP 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  [HE 

APR  2:81924 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  CARNEGIE  INSTITUTION  OF  WASHINGTON 
Washington,  March,  1924  ' 


CARNEGIE  INSTITUTION  OF  WASHINGTON 

Publication  No.  335 


JUDD  &  DETWEILER,  INC. 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


UNIVERSITY  Of 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


Introduction .  3 

Chapter  1 .  7 

History  of  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  7 

The  east  coast  at  the  time  of  its  discovery .  10 

The  discovery  of  Yucatan .  13 

The  conquest  of  Yucatan .  16 

Subsequent  history  of  Yucatan .  22 

The  modern  Indians .  24 

Chapter  II .  25 

The  architecture  of  eastern  Yucatan .  25 

Chapter  III .  41 

East  coast  art .  41 

Stela: .  41 

Stucco  relief  sculpture .  46 

Sculpture  in  the  round .  49 

Mural  painting .  50 

Frescoes .  50 

Ceramics .  61 

Chapter  IV .  64 

Tulum .  64 

History  of  the  site .  64 

General  description  of  Tulum .  65 

The  Great  Wall .  68 

The  Lesser  Wall .  74 

Detailed  description  of  buildings .  74 

The  Castillo .  74 

The  Temple  of  the  Diving  God .  84 

The  Temple  of  the  Initial  Series .  86 

The  Inner  Inclosure .  89 

The  Temple  of  the  Frescoes .  91 

The  Cenote  House .  109 

The  guard  towers .  1 1 5 

Chapter  V .  120 

Other  ruins  on  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  120 

Tulum  Playa .  120 

Tancah .  120 

The  cave  of  Tancah .  132 

Xelha  bay .  133 

The  Xelha  wall .  134 

Xelha  ruins .  134 

Acom  al .  143 


Chapter  V — Continued. 

PAGE 


Playa  Carmen .  143 

Nisucte . :  .  .  .  1 43 

El  Meco .  144 

Kantunil .  147 

Mugeres  Island .  148 

Cancuen .  150 

Cozumel  Island .  152 

San  Miguel .  154 

El  Cedral .  156 

San  Benito .  157 

A  nameless  ruin .  158 

Other  remains  on  Cozumel .  159 

Cacakal .  159 

Nohku  Point .  160 

Chacmool .  160 

Canche  Balam .  165 

Other  ruins .  165 

Chapter  VI .  167 

Conclusion .  167 

Architecture .  167 

Sculpture  and  painting .  168 

Chronology .  168 

Colonization  Period  (433-689  A.  D.) .  168 

Dark  ages  (689-985  A.  D.) .  168 

Period  of  the  League  of  Mayapan  (985-1201  A.  D.).  168 

Toltec  Period  (1201-1458  A.  D.) .  169 

Final  Period .  170 

Sequence  of  construction .  170 

Tulum . 172 

Tancah  and  Xelha .  173 

Nisucte . .  .  173 

El  Meco .  173 

Cancuen . 173 

Cozumel .  173 

Chacmool .  173 

Ethnic  problems .  173 

Future  Archaeological  work .  174 

Bibliography  of  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  175 

Index .  177 


543524 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATES. 

PAGE 

1.  Tulum  stelae.  A,  B,  stela  i;  C,  stela  2 .  42 

2.  Tulum  sculpture.  A,  structure  3;  B,  D,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes;  C,  Castillo .  46 

3.  Tulum  sculpture.  A,  Castillo;  B-D,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes .  48 

4.  Frescoes  in  the  Castillo,  Tulum .  50 

5.  Tulum.  A,  doorway  in  room  a  of  the  Castillo  (restored);  B,  frescoes  on  the  east  interior  wall,  Temple  of  the  Diving 

God .  52 

6.  Frescoes  on  the  west  facade,  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum .  54 

7.  Frescoes  in  the  west  passage,  Temple  ol  the  Frescoes,  Tulum .  56 

8.  Frescoes  in  the  north  passage,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum .  58 

9.  a-f,  stucco  ornaments,  Tulum;  g,j,  part  of  an  incense-burner,  Mugcres  Island;  h,  i,  k,  /,  pottery  fragments, Cozumel  60 

10.  a,  b,  heads  found  near  Tulum;  d,  h,  Tulum  ruins;  others,  Cozumel .  62 

ti.  Tulum.  A,  looking  south  from  temple  45;  B,  looking  north  from  the  Castillo . 66 

12.  Tulum.  A,  looking  north  from  temple  54;  B,  east  front  of  the  Castillo .  68 

13.  The  Great  Wall,  Tulum.  A,  north  arm;  B,  west  arm;  C,  room  off  the  northwest  passage .  70 

14.  The  Great  Wall,  Tulum.  A,  southwest  passage;  B,  southeast  end . 72 

1 5.  The  Castillo  at  Tulum . 76 

16.  Castillo,  Tulum.  A,  south  side;  B,  north  and  west  facades .  78 

17.  Castillo,  Tulum.  A,  third  range;  B,  east  fagade . % .  80 

18.  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum.  A,  south  fagade;  B,  west  fagade .  84 

19.  Gateways  in  the  Inner  Inclosure,  Tulum.  A,  C,  west  wall;  B,  south  wall .  90 

20.  Tulum.  A,  the  Inner  Inclosure;  B,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes .  94 

21.  Tulum.  A,  structure  21;  B,  structure  20 .  98 

22.  Tulum.  A,  structures  23,  25,  and  26;  B,  looking  south  along  the  main  street  from  structure  32 .  104 

23.  Stucco  figure  of  the  Diving  god.  Structure  25,  Tulum .  106 

24.  A,  Cenote  House,  Tulum.  B,  structure  1,  Tancah .  no 

25.  General  map  of  Tulum .  118 

26.  Maps  of  Xelha  and  Tancah .  132 

27.  A,  structure  1,  Xelha;  B,  structures  1  and  2,  Chacmool;  C,  structure  3,  Chacmool .  162 

TEXT-FIGURES. 

1.  Map  of  eastern  Yucatan,  showing  location  of  ruins .  4 

2.  Map  of  eastern  Yucatan,  showing  ancient  cities  and  provinces .  12 

3.  Tulum  from  the  sea .  15 

4.  Construction  of  balustrade,  Castillo,  Tulum .  28 

5.  Ground  plans:  A,  b,  e,  f,  Tulum;  c,  Playa  Carmen;  d,  Tulum  Playa;  g,  Chichen  Itza;  h,  Chacmool;  1,  Cancuen; 

J,  Ake .  28 

6.  Types  of  doorways,  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  30 

7.  Latticed  window,  structure  21,  Tulum .  31 

8.  Altar  of  structure  1,  Xelha .  31 

9.  Door-columns,  structure  21,  Tulum .  32 

10.  Modern  altar  furnishings,  Castillo,  Tulum .  33 

11.  Serpent-column,  Castillo,  Tulum .  33 

12.  Cross-section  of  structure  21,  Tulum  (restored) .  34 

13.  Fallen  flat  roofs,  Tulum .  35 

14.  Types  of  vaulting,  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  36 

15.  Half-vaulted  passageway,  Castillo,  Tulum .  37 

16.  Types  of  moldings,  east  coast  of  Yucatan .  38 

17.  a,  b ,  stela  I,  Tulum;  c,  d,  early  and  late  forms  of  ceremonial  bar,  Copan .  42 

18.  Inscription  on  stela  2,  Tulum . 43 

19.  Stela  3,  Tulum .  44 

20.  Stela  5,  Tulum .  45 

21.  Stela  said  to  be  from  Cozumel  Island .  46 

22.  The  Diving  god,  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum .  47 

23.  Skeletons  of  stucco  figures,  structure  20,  Tulum  .  48 

24.  Stucco  head  on  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum .  49 

25.  Potsherd,  Chichen  Itza .  51 

26.  Manikin  scepter . ' .  51 

27.  Mural  paintings  on  the  north  wall  of  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum .  55 

28.  a ,  jar  surmounted  by  Kan  signs  and  ear  of  corn,  Madrid  codex;  b,  dancing  figures,  Dresden  codex;  c ,  dancing  figures, 

Codex  Vaticanus  B .  57 

29.  Fragments  of  incense-burners,  eastern  Yucatan  or  British  Honduras .  60 

30.  Pottery  fragments,  Tulum .  61 


IV 


V 


PAGE 

31.  Incense-burners  (?),  vicinity  of  Tulum .  62 

32.  Cross-section  of  the  ruins  of  Tulum. . .  66 

33.  Northeastern  end  of  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum .  68 

34.  Cross-section  of  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum .  69 

35.  Plan  of  northeast  passage  in  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum .  70 

36.  South  side  of  the  northwest  passage  in  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum .  71 

37.  Temple  55  and  cross-section  of  north  wall,  Tulum .  72 

38.  Cross-section  of  west  wall  and  temple  56,  Tulum .  72 

39.  Stairway  (restored)  in  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum .  73 

40.  Cross-sections  of  Lesser  Wall,  Tulum .  74 

41.  Plans  of  three  levels  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum .  7^ 

42.  East  and  west  elevations  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum .  76 

43.  Cross-section  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum .  76 

44.  Grotesque  face,  third  range  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum . 77 

45.  Room  a,  Castillo,  Tulum .  78 

46.  Room  b,  Castillo,  Tulum .  78 

47.  Stucco  heads  in  room  c,  Castillo,  Tulum .  .  79 

48.  Stucco  heads  in  room  e,  Castillo,  Tulum .  81 

49.  Room  h,  Castillo,  Tulum .  81 

50.  Tulum.  Structures  3,  9,  and  10,  from  south  wing  of  the  Castillo .  82 

51.  a,  c,  structure  3;  b,  structure  2 .  83 

52.  Stucco  head  in  structure  3 .  83 

53.  Northeast  corner  of  the  Inner  Inclosure .  83 

54.  Ground  plans  of  structures  2,  4,  and  6,  and  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  (structure  5),  Tulum .  84 

55.  Cross-section  and  elevation  of  structure  4,  Tulum .  84 

56.  Cross-section  and  elevation  of  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum .  85 

57.  Structure  7,  Tulum .  86 

58.  Structure  7,  Tulum .  86 

59.  Plan  and  elevation  of  structure  8,  Tulum .  87 

60.  Ground  plans  of  structure  3,  Temple  of  Initial  Series  (structure  9),  Tulum .  87 

61.  Stucco  relief,  Temple  of  Initial  Series,  Tulum .  87 

62.  Elevation  and  cross-section,  Temple  of  Initial  Series,  Tulum .  87 

63.  North  facade,  Temple  of  Initial  Series,  Tulum .  88 

64.  Elevation  of  structure  10,  Tulum .  88 

65.  East  facade  of  structure  11,  Tulum .  89 

66.  Elevation  and  restored  cross-section  of  structure  1 1 ,  Tulum .  89 

67.  Inner  Inclosure,  Tulum .  90 

68.  Gateway  in  the  south  wall  of  the  Inner  Inclosure,  Tulum .  91 

69.  Structure  13,  Tulum .  91 

70.  Ground  plan  and  elevation,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum .  92 

71.  Cross-section,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum .  93 

72.  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum.  A,  north  corridor;  B,  inner  doorway .  93 

73.  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum.  A,  west  corridor;  B,  south  corridor .  94 

74.  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum.  A,  south  facade;  B,  southwest  corner .  96 

75.  Plan  and  elevation,  structure  17,  Tulum .  97 

76.  Structure  19  and  cross-section  of  tomb,  Tulum .  98 

77.  East  elevation  and  ground  plan  of  structure  20,  Tulum .  98 

78.  East  facade  of  structure  20,  Tulum .  99 

79.  Stucco  head  in  room  A,  structure  20,  Tulum .  99 

80.  Ground  plan  and  south  elevation  of  structure  21,  Tulum .  100 

81.  Structures  16,  20,  and  21,  from  the  Inner  Inclosure .  101 

82.  Views  of  south  fagade  from  room  E,  structure  21,  Tulum .  101 

83.  Tomb  in  south  end  of  structure  22,  Tulum .  102 

84.  West  side  of  structure  25  and  north  end  of  structure  22,  Tulum .  103 

85.  Structure  25  from  the  northwest,  Tulum.  .  .  . .  103 

86.  Structure  25,  Tulum . , .  104 

87.  Ground  plan  and  restored  cross-section  and  elevation  of  structure  25,  Tulum .  104 

88.  Interior  doorway,  structure  25,  Tulum .  105 

89.  Supplementary  column  and  sanctuary  in  the  back  room  of  structure  25,  Tulum .  105 

90.  Structures  26,  27,  and  28,  Tulum .  106 

91.  Structures  31  and  32,  Tulum .  107 

92.  Structure  33,  Tulum . 107 

93.  Structure  34  from  the  southwest,  Tulum .  107 

94.  East  facade  of  the  Cenote  House  and  altar  36,  Tulum .  108 

95.  Plans  of  structure  34,  Tulum .  109 

96.  Plans  of  the  Cenote  House,  Tulum .  109 

97.  Structure  36,  Tulum .  109 

98.  Structures  39  to  45,  Tulum . no 


VI 


PAGE 


99.  Structures  39,  40,  41,  and  35,  Tulum . .  m 

100.  Structures  42  to  45,  Tulum . in 

101.  Elevations  of  "structures  39  to  43,  Tulum .  112 

102.  North  fagade  of  temple  45,  Tulum .  113 

103.  Temple  45,  from  the  sea,  Tulum .  113 

104.  Structure  49,  Tulum .  114 

105.  Structures  50  to  54,  Tulum .  115 

106.  Ground  plan  and  elevation  of  structure  54,  Tulum .  115 

107.  Structure  54  from  the  southwest,  Tulum .  1 1 5 

108.  Ground  plans,  structures  55  and  56,  Tulum .  116 

109.  Structure  55,  Tulum .  116 

no.  Temple  55,  Tulum .  117 

hi.  Structure  57,  Tulum .  1 1 8 

112.  Plans  of  structure  59,  Tulum .  118 

1 13.  Structure  59,  Tulum .  119 

1 14.  Edifice  at  Tulum  Playa .  120 

115.  Structure  1,  Tancah .  122 

116.  Shrine  on  summit  of  structure  1,  Tancah .  123 

1 17.  Structure  3,  Tancah .  123 

1 1 8.  Shrine  on  structure  3,  Tancah .  124 

1 19.  Structure  5,  from  temple  6,  Tancah .  124 

120.  Temple  6  from  the  south,  Tancah .  125 

121.  Stucco  figure  on  south  interior  wall,  structure  6,  Tancah .  125 

122.  Plans  of  structure  6,  Tancah .  125 

123.  Structure  8  from  the  south,  Tancah .  126 

124.  Structure  8,  Tancah .  126 

125.  South  facade  of  structure  10,  Tancah .  127 

126.  Plans  of  structure  12,  Tancah .  127 

127.  South  facade  of  structure  10,  Tancah .  128 

128.  Structure  12,  Tancah .  129 

129.  Tancah.  A,  structure  14;  B,  structure  16;  C,  structure  17.  . . .  129 

130.  Structure  16,  Tancah .  130 

1 3 1 .  Cave  of  Tancah.  A,  pictographs;  B,  general  view .  131 

132.  Cave  of  Tancah.  Stone  idol;  altar .  132 

133.  Xelha  lagoon .  133 

134.  Wall  of  Xelha.  A,  north  end;  B,  south  end .  133 

135.  Plan  of  the  wall,  Xelha .  134 

136.  Plans  of  structure  1,  Xelha .  135 

137.  Interior  of  structure  1,  Xelha .  136 

138.  West  fagade  of  structure  2,  Xelha .  136 

139.  Restoration  of  structure  2,  Xelha .  137 

140.  Structure  3,  Xelha .  137 

141.  Structure  6,  Xelha .  138 

142.  Plan  of  the  shrine  of  structure  6,  Xelha .  138 

143.  South  side  of  structure  11,  Xelha .  139 

144.  South  elevation  of  structure  11,  Xelha .  139 

145.  Structures  13  and  14,  Xelha .  I40 

146.  Structures  15  and  16,  Xelha .  140 

147.  Structures  19  and  22,  Xelha .  I40 

148.  Xelha.  A,  ground  plan  of  structures  18  to  22;  B,  elevation  of  structures  19  and  21;  C,  ground  plan  of  structures 

26,  27,  and  28 .  141 

149.  Rough  sketch  of  structures  26,  27,  and  28,  Xelha .  142 

150.  Structures  1  and  2,  Playa  Carmen .  143 

1 5 1 .  Temple  at  El  Meco .  144 

152.  Ground  plan  and  restored  elevation  of  temple,  El  Meco .  145 

153.  Cross-section  of  temple,  El  Meco .  146 

154.  Objects  from  a  grave  at  Kantunil .  147 

155.  Mugeres  Island . 148 

156.  Temple  on  Mugeres  Island .  149 

157.  Ground  plan  of  small  temple,  Mugeres  Island .  149 

158.  Plan  of  ruins,  island  of  Cancuen .  150 

159.  Cancuen .  151 

160.  Plans  of  structure  4,  Cancuen .  152 

1 6 1 .  Fragments  of  stucco  figure,  Cancuen .  152 

162.  Ground  plan  of  a  building,  Cancuen .  152 

163.  Plan  and  elevation  of  a  building,  Cancuen . 153 

164.  Building  at  San  Miguel,  Cozumel  Island .  154 

165.  Temple  at  San  Miguel,  Cozumel  Island . 155 


VII 


1 66.  Ground  plan  of  small  temple  at  San  Miguel . 

167.  Section  of  a  building  near  El  Cedral,  Cozumel. . 

168.  Archway  in  quadrangular  ruins  in  the  village  of  El  Cedral 

169.  Ruins  of  San  Benito,  Cozumel . 

170.  Two-storied  shrine  at  the  ruins  of  Cacakal . 

171.  Plan  and  cross-section  of  shrine,  Cacakal . 

172.  Plan  and  elevation  of  temple,  Nohku  Point . 

173.  Map  of  the  ruins  of  Chacmool . 

174.  Elevation  and  cross-section  of  structure  1,  Chacmool.  .  .  . 

175.  Chacmool  statue,  structure  3 . 

176.  Legs  of  Chacmool  figure . 

177.  Cross-section  and  elevation  of  structure  4,  Chacmool. 

178.  Facade  of  structure  6,  Chacmool . 

179.  Plans  of  structures  6  and  7,  Chacmool . 

180.  Elevation  of  structure  8 . 

1 8 1.  Plan  of  temple,  Canche  Balam . 

182.  An  unnamed  ruin  north  of  Tulum . 


PAGE 

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161 

162 
162 

162 

163 

164 

164 

165 

165 

166 


TULUM 

AN  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  STUDY  OF 
THE  EAST  COAST  OF  YUCATAN 


i 


INTRODUCTION. 

This  book  is  the  result  of  three  expeditions  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  of 
Washington  to  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Sylvanus  G. 
Morley.  The  writer  desires  to  acknowledge  his  indebtedness  to  the  authorities  of 
the  Carnegie  Institution  who  have  made  possible  the  collection  of  data  and  its 
publication,  especially  President  Merriam  and  ex-President  Woodward. 

Owing  to  local  conditions,  the  working  time  at  the  various  sites  described  was 
reduced  to  a  minimum;  the  large  amount  of  material  here  presented  is  therefore 
due  to  specialization  of  work  and  to  the  individual  records  made  by  the  personnel  of 
the  various  expeditions.  Dr.  Morley  has  not  only  had  the  task  of  organizing  the 
work,  but  has  contributed  measurements  and  observations  on  every  site  visited; 
Mr.  O.  G.  Ricketson  made  the  surveys  for  the  maps  of  Tancah,  Xelha,  and  Tulum; 
Messrs.  Arthur  Carpenter  and  Juan  Sopena  have  served  as  photographers;  Dr.  T.  W. 
F.  Gann  and  Mr.  John  Held  have  both  contributed  copies  of  frescoes  from  Tulum. 

My  thanks  are  also  due  to  Professor  A.  M.  Tozzer,  of  Harvard  University,  for 
permission  to  reproduce  specimens  in  the  Peabody  Museum  and  for  much  kindly 
advice.  Stela  i  at  Tulum  is  reproduced  from  photographs  that  Mr.  T.  A.  Joyce, 
of  the  British  Museum,  was  good  enough  to  send  me.  Professor  M.  H.  Saville,  of 
the  Museum  of  the  American  Indian,  Heye  Foundation,  has  placed  his  library,  at 
my  disposal  and  has  aided  me  with  helpful  criticism.  Dr.  Glover  Allen,  of  Harvard 
University,  has  identified  various  animal  bones,  and  Dr.  O.  F.  Cook,  of  the  U.  S. 
Department  of  Agriculture,  has  identified  the  vegetable  forms  on  the  Tulum  wall 
paintings.  Finally,  I  am  indebted  to  my  wife  and  to  Mr.  Fiske  Warren  for  much 
practical  help  in  the  preparation  of  the  manuscript.  #■ 

The  east  coast  of  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan,  from  Cape  Catoche  to  the  borders 
of  British  Honduras,  is  one  of  the  wildest  and  least-known  parts  of  the  New  World, 
for  the  aborigines,  though  once  conquered,  have  regained  their  independence  and 
do  not  welcome  the  presence  of  strangers.  Centuries  of  oppression  and  decades  of 
barbarous  warfare,  and  more  particularly  recent  attempts  to  exterminate  the 
Indian,  have  long  rendered  this  coast  unsafe  except  for  large  armed  parties.  But 
a  truce  declared  a  few  years  ago  between  the  Indians  and  the  Mexican  govern¬ 
ment  has  made  possible  the  collection  of  the  data  on  which  this  work  is  based. 

Like  the  greater  part  of  Yucatan,  the  east  coast  is  composed  of  Recent  coralline 
limestone  covered  by  a  thin,  rocky  soil  on  which  grows  a  tropical  forest.  This 
growth,  however,  is  not  so  high  as  that  encountered  farther  south  in  Guatemala  and 
Honduras,  where  the  rainfall  is  heavier.  The  shore  is  usually  a  strip  of  white  coral 
sand  which  is  replaced  at  times  by  swamp  and  mangrove.  From  Ascencion  Bay 
northward  there  are  stretches  of  limestone  cliff  fronting  the  sea;  the  highest  piece 
of  cliff  apparently  is  that  on  which  the  city  of  Tulum  stands.  From  a  hundred 

3 


+ 


4 


yards  to  a  mile  offshore  is  a  barrier  reef  which  parallels  almost  the  entire  coast 
and  shelves  off  sharply  into  deep  water.  The  narrow  passages  through  the  reef 
and  the  shoal  water  within  necessitate  the  use  of  small,  shallow-draft  boats.  Travel 
by  land  is  scarcely  feasible  at  present. 


Fig.  i. — Map  of  eastern  Yucatan,  showing  location  of  ruins 

•* 

Off  the  northern  portion  of  the  east  coast  lies  a  string  of  islands  which  are 
geologically  similar  to  the  mainland:  Mugeres,  Contoy,  Cancuen,  and  Cozumel. 
These  islands  were  inhabited  before  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards. 

Of  the  interior  we  can  say  little,  for  it  is  unexplored.  It  appears  to  be  a  vast 
forest-covered  plain  stretching  to  the  cultivated  area  of  Yucatan  on  the  north 


5 


and  to  the  jungles  of  the  Peten  on  the  south.  Rumors  of  large  ruined  cities  have 
reached  the  coast,  but  no  white  man  has  seen  them. 

Tulum,  the  principal  ruin  on  the  east  coast,  lies  midway  between  Ascencion 
Bay  and  the  island  of  Cozumel.  First  described  by  Stephens,1  it  has  been  visited  by 
expeditions  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  in  1916,  1918,  and  1922.  It  has  also  been 
briefly  described  by  Howe,2  Holmes,3  and  Prince  William  of  Sweden.4 

Exploration  of  other  sites  has  been  undertaken  by  the  Carnegie  Institution, 
Stephens,  Holmes,  Howe,  Le  Plongeon,  and  Arnold  and  Frost.  The  Peabody 
Museum  of  Harvard  University  has  surveyed  several  sites  on  the  north  part  of  the 
coast,  but  the  results  have  not  been  published. 

The  greater  part  of  our  material  concerns  the  ruins  of  Tulum.  Other  and  lesser 
sites  have  also  been  included,  even  when  our  notes  were  meager.  In  addition,  we 
have  summarized  previous  publications  covering  the  places  not  visited  by  the 
Carnegie  Institution  expeditions,  so  that  this  work  includes  everything  available 
at  the  time  of  writing  concerning  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan.5  The  ruins  discussed 
are: 


Tulum 
Tulum  Playa 
Tancah 
Xelha 


Playa  Carmen 
Nisucte 
El  Meco 
Kantunil 
Mugeres 


Cozumel : 

San  Miguel 
El  Cedral 
San  Benito 
Cacakal 


Nohku 

Canche  Balam 

Chacmool 

Cancuen 


To  the  reader  interested  in  the  broader  aspects  of  east-coast  archaeology,  the 
first  three  and  the  last  chapters  are  recommended.  These  deal  with  the  history, 
architecture,  and  art  of  the  region  and  with  such  chronological  and  cultural  problems 
as  may  be  analyzed  in  our  present  state  of  knowledge.  The  rest  of  the  book  is 
devoted  to  a  detailed  description  of  the  edifices  at  Tulum  and  other  cities  which 
have  been  studied. 

A  word  must  be  said  about  chronology.  The  Maya  recorded  time  by  several 
systems.  The  most  accurate  of  these,  the  Initial  Series  or  Long  Count,  is  a  count 
of  days  from  a  given  starting-point.  Any  date  of  this  type  is  absolute  within  the 
Maya  system.  A  second  method  made  use  of  the  hotun,  lahuntun,  and  katun 
(approximately  5,  10,  and  20  year)  periods,  which,  in  combination  with  the  day  and 
month  and  their  numbers,  gave  dates  fixed  for  considerable  periods  of  time,  but 
which  by  repetition  could  give  rise  to  confusion.  This  system  corresponds  to  our 
custom  of  writing  ’23  for  1923.  We  now  know  which  century  is  intended  by  ’23, 
but  in  a  thousand  years  it  can  only  be  determined  by  a  study  of  accompanying  data. 
Thus,  in  Maya  inscriptions  the  stylistic  sequence  is  often  of  great  importance  in 
interpreting  the  date.  A  third  type  of  Maya  date  is  based  on  the  number  of  the 
day  (which  is  always  Ahau)  on  which  the  katun  (20-year)  period  ended.  As  the 
numbers  1  to  13  in  turn  are  associated  with  the  day  Ahau,  the  sequence  could  not 

1  Incidents  of  travel  in  Yucatan,  vol.  n,  pp.  387-409. 

2  Am.  Anth,  n.  s.,  vol.  xm,  pp.  539-550. 

3  Archaeological  studies  among  the  ancient  cities  of  Mexico,  vol.  1,  pp.  75-78. 

4  Between  two  continents,  pp.  106-118. 

8  The  surveys  of  the  following  ruins  were  made  entirely  by  Dr.  S.  G.  Morley:  Tulum  Playa,  Playa  Carmen.  El  Meco, 
Cancuen,  Cacakal,  Nohku,  Canche  Balam,  and  Chacmool. 


6 


return  until  13  times  20,  or  approximately  260  years.  This  system  is  typically 
found  in  Yucatan. 

A  second  problem  in  regard  to  dates  is  the  correlation  of  Maya  and  Christian 
chronology.  Although  within  themselves  both  systems  are  accurate  to  the  day,  the 
correlation  of  one  with  the  other  is  still  a  subject  of  controversy.  At  present  two 
hypotheses  seem  worthy  of  serious  consideration.  One  theory,  advanced  by 
Bowditch  and  Joyce,  places  the  beginning  of  cycle  9  of  Maya  chronology  in  94  or 
95  B.C.;  the  other,  advanced  by  Morley  and  Spinden,  places  it  in  176  A.D.  There 
is,  then,  a  difference  of  270  years  between  them.  In  this  book  we  have  followed  the 
Morley-Spinden  correlation.  To  the  reader  interested  in  this  subject,  we  recommend 
the  writings  of  Mr.  S.  G.  Morley.1 

The  usually  recognized  large  divisions  of  Maya  history  are  as  follows: 

OLD  EMPIRE.  RENAISSANCE. 

I.  Early  Period. 

■ - -  to  9.  10.  o.  o.  o  (373  A.D.) 

II.  Middle  Period. 

9.  10.  o.  o.  o  to  9.  15.  o.  o.  o  (472  A.D.) 

III.  Great  Period.  I.  Colonization  Period. 

9.  15.  o.  o.  o  to  10.  2.  o.  o.  o  (610  A.D.)  9.  13.  o.  o.  o  (433  A.D.)  to  io.  6.  o.  o.  o  (689  A.D.) 

II.  Dark  Ages. 

Katun  8  Ahau  (689  A.D.)  to  Katun  4  Ahau  (985  A.D.) 

III.  League  of  May apan. 

Katun  4  Ahau  to  Katun  8  Ahau  (1201  A.D.) 

IV.  Toltec  Period. 

Katun  8  Ahau  to  Katun  8  Ahau  (1458  A.D.) 

V.  Final  Period. 

Katun  8  Ahau  to  Katun  11  Ahau  (1556  A.D.),  by  the  end  of  which 
Yucatan  was  conquered. 

1  The  inscriptions  at  Copan,  Carnegie  Inst.  Wash.  Pub.  No.  219,  appendix  11.  Also,  An  introduction  to  the 
study  ol  Maya  hieroglyphs,  Bu.  Am.  Ethn.  Bulletin  57. 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  EAST  COAST  OF  YUCATAN. 

The  Maya  civilization,  as  disclosed  by  archaeological  remains,  emerged  from 
barbarism  in  the  first  ten  centuries  before  Christ.  During  this  epoch  the  Maya 
gathered  the  fundamental  resources  for  the  great  expansion  which  took  place  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  In  the  first  six  centuries  after  Christ  they  occupied, 
built,  and  dwelt  in  a  host  of  great  cities  extending  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the 
Bay  of  Honduras:  Tikal,  Copan,  Quirigua,  Naranjo,  Nakum,  La  Honradez, 
Piedras  Negras,  Palenque,  Comalcalco,  and  others  scarcely  less  important  but  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Why  and  how  this  sudden  expansion  took  place  we  can  not 
explain,  though  the  vast  remains  of  jungle-buried  cities  bear  silent  witness  to  the 
vigorous  and  complex  organization  of  the  civilization  which  produced  them. 
Centuries  later  the  Maya  again  rose  to  a  high  plane,  the  Toltecs,  Zapotecs,  and 
Aztecs  also  created  distinctive  cultures,  and  important  centers  flourished  in  Peru; 
nevertheless,  the  apogee  of  American  cultural  achievement  still  remains  the  final 
Ph  ase,  the  Great  Period,  of  the  Maya  Old  Empire. 

During  the  time  between  9.18.10.0.0  and  10.2.0.0.0  of  Maya  chronology 
(541-610  A.D.),  the  Old  Empire  cities  were  successively  abandoned  and  the  Maya 
moved  westward  to  the  adjacent  plateau  areas  or  northward  and  eastward  into 
Yucatan. 

The  reasons  for  this  great  migration,  which  involved  millions  of  people,  are 
unknown,  but  have  been  the  subject  of  speculation;  earthquake,  pestilence,  war, 
intellectual  and  moral  exhaustion,  change  of  climate,  and  failure  of  agriculture  have 
all  been  suggested.  The  theory  of  agricultural  failure,  advanced  by  O.  F.  Cook1  on 
the  basis  of  studies  among  the  Maya  Indians  of  to-day  in  Guatemala,  has  found 
the  greatest  number  of  adherents.  We  doubt,  however,  if  such  a  vast  movement 
of  population  could  be  caused  by  a  single  factor;  yet,  if  we  accept  Cook’s  theory  of 
diminishing  agricultural  returns,  we  can  postulate  the  usual  results  of  famine  in 
civilized  countries,  namely,  social  unrest  and  perhaps  civil  war,  followed  in  turn 
by  less  production  and  intensification  of  the  food  problem.  This  cycle  is  one  which 
has  operated  the  world  over.  It  has  overturned  complex  social  systems  and  has 
decimated  populations;  but  it  does  not  explain  a  migration  en  masse  of  an  agri¬ 
cultural  people  with  a  heavy  investment  in  huge  cities  constructed  of  stone  and 
concrete.  This  problem  is  of  major  importance  because  its  solution  may  cause  the 
resettlement  and  opening  to  productivity  of  the  thousands  of  square  miles  involved. 

Long  before  the  downfall  of  the  Old  Empire,  in  fact  by  the  beginning  of  the 
Great  Period,  the  Maya  had  discovered  and  formed  settlements  in  the  peninsula  of 
Yucatan.  Native  tradition  preserved  from  the  epoch  of  the  Conquest  carries  us 
back  to  this  period.  Our  information  is  derived  from  certain  Spanish  records  and 
from  the  so-called  Books  of  Chilam  Balam,  certain  chronicles  written  by  natives  in 
their  own  tongue  and  the  Spanish  alphabet.  Although  dating  from  after  the 
Conquest,  it  is  supposed  that  they  preserve  traditions  recorded  in  the  aboriginal 


1  Vegetation  affected  by  agriculture  in  Central  America.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  Bulletin  145. 

7 


8 


manuscripts  which  were  burned  in  great  numbers  by  the  fanatical  Spanish  clergy. 
Only  a  small  part  of  the  material  available  has  been  translated,  and  what  is  now 
known  deals  not  with  the  east  coast  but  with  the  history  of  the  Cocom,  Xiu,  and 
Itza  clans,  the  rulers  of  Mayapan,  Uxmal,  and  Chichen  Itza.  From  these  strictly 
family  records  it  is  dangerous  to  generalize  too  widely.  No  manuscript  dealing 
with  the  east  coast  is  now  extant,  although  one  formerly  existed  in  Tihosuco  in 
the  province  of  Cochua. 

The  movement  of  population  from  the  Old  Empire  cities  flowed  in  two  main 
currents,  known  to  the  Maya  as  the  Genial,  or  Little  Descent,  and  the  Nohenial,  or 
Great  Descent.1  The  first  Maya  to  reach  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan  probably 
were  those  who  formed  the  Genial.  The  Books  of  Chilam  Balam2  tell  us  that  the 
Xiu  settled  in  the  province  of  Ziyan  caan  or  Bachalal  during  either  Katun  6  ahau 
or  Katun  8  ahau,  where  they  remained  threescore  years.3  According  to  the  cor¬ 
relation  system  we  follow,  these  dates  are  9.13.0.0.0  and  9.14.0.0.0  in  the  Long 
Count,  or  433  and  452  A.D. 

The  province  of  Ziyan  caan  or  Bachalal  is  believed  to  be  the  territory  near 
Bacalar  lagoon.  In  this  vicinity  are  the  ruins  of  El  Porvenir,  Rio  Beque,  Ramonal, 
etc.,  which  are  believed  to  date  from  this  period.  It  is  evident,  however,  from 
stela  1  at  Tulum,  the  date  of  which  is  probably  9. 13. 10. 0.0,  that  settlements 
extended  well  up  the  coast.  The  Cozumel  stela,  undated  but  stylistically  similar 
to  stela  1  at  Tulum,  may  indicate  that  the  island  of  Cozumel  was  occupied  at 
this  time.  Other  early  settlements  were  made  at  Chichen  Itza  and  at  Xcalumkin 
on  the  west  coast. 

Although  it  is  evident  that  the  earliest  Maya  settlements  in  Yucatan  long 
antedated  the  desertion  of  the  great  cities  of  the  south,  it  is  possible  that  the  causes 
which  later  led  to  the  complete  abandonment  of  the  older  cities  had  already  begun 
to  make  themselves  felt.  At  any  rate,  it  seems  certain  that  this  was  a  period  of 
social  change,  for  we  read  in  the  Chilam  Balam  of  Chumayel4  the  statement  that 
“at  that  time  they  were  marvellously  improved  by  the  fathers.”  From  this  we 
may  perhaps  infer  that  the  settlements  on  the  east  coast  were  by-products  of 
social  revolution  in  the  cities  of  the  south. 

The  Nohenial,  or  Great  Descent,  probably  refers  to  a  great  outpouring  of  tribes 
from  the  Usumacintla  region  into  southwestern  Yucatan,  which  commenced,  if  we 
can  correlate  it  with  the  cessation  of  dated  monuments,  about  9.18.10.0.0  and  was 
completed  probably  within  a  hundred  years.  This  great  influx  appears  to  have 
unsettled  the  small  towns  already  founded  by  the  Cenial,  for  we  learn  that  Chichen 
Itza  was  abandoned. 

The  Maya  now  entered  their  Dark  Ages,  an  epoch  during  which  there  were 
unrest,  wandering,  a  series  of  temporary  settlements,  and  probably  much  unrecorded 

1  “They  (the  Spanish  priests)  knew  that  the  natives  came  in  part  from  the  east  and  in  part  from  the  west . In 

old  times  they  called  the  east  ‘Cenial,  The  Little  Descent,’  and  the  west  ‘Nohenial,  The  Great  Descent,’  referring  to  the  few 
people  who  came  on  tha  one  side  and  the  multitude  who  came  on  the  other,  whoever  they  may  have  been.”  Lizana,  1893,  p.  3. 

2  The  Mani  and  Tizimin  manuscripts  record  this  event.  See  Brinton,  1882,  pp.  100  and  144. 

3  Mr.  S.  G.  Morley  (The  inscriptions  at  Copan,  p.  503)  places  this  event  in  Katun  4  ahau. 

4  Brinton,  1882,  p.  180, 


» 


/ 


9 

lighting.  They  did  not  again  enter  a  period  of  cultural  advance  for  nearly  300  years. 
By  the  year  1000  A.D.,  however,  three  great  cities — Mayapan,  Uxmal,  and  Chichen 
Itza — had  emerged  from  the  chaos  we  have  described  and  had  entered  into  a  formal 
agreement  by  which  they  jointly  undertook  to  rule  the  land. 

There  was  thus  inaugurated  the  “League  of  Mayapan,”  which  endured  for 
nearly  two  centuries.  It  was  the  Golden  Age  of  Yucatan.  Again  the  Maya  built 
great  stone  cities  and  again  the  arts  flourished.  In  the  year  1201  war  broke  out 
between  Chichen  Itza  and  Mayapan.  The  latter  called  in  Toltec  mercenaries  from 
Mexico,  and  with  their  aid  Chichen  Itza  was  conquered  and  turned  over  to  the 
Toltecs  as  a  reward  lor  their  services.  As  a  result  of  the  victory,  the  rulers  of 
Mayapan — the  Cocomes — claimed  the  overlordship  of  the  entire  peninsula. 

The  succeeding  century  was  one  of  conflict,  in  which  the  Itza  endeavored  to 
regain  their  lost  power.  Proving  unsuccessful  in  this,  they  returned  to  their  former 
homeland  in  the  south,  where  they  built  their  capital — Tayasal — on  an  island  in 
Lake  Peten.  Meanwhile,  in  Yucatan  the  Cocomes  had  consolidated  their  power, 
causing  discontent  by  their  arrogance  and  tyranny.  In  the  fifteenth  century, 
Uxmal,  the  third  member  of  the  league,  headed  a  great  confederacy  which  finally 
succeeded  in  capturing  and  destroying  the  city  of  Mayapan  and  in  killing  off  the 
Cocom  family  with  the  exception  of  one  who  was  absent  in  Mexico.  This  event 
really  marks  the  downfall  of  the  Maya  civilization. 

The  Tutul  Xius,  the  hereditary  rulers  of  Uxmal,  were  soon  forced  to  abandon 
their  capital  and  withdraw  to  Mani,  which  means  “it  is  finished.”  The  country  was 
split  into  numerous  small  principalities  which  constantly  preyed  on  one  another. 
Pestilence,  famine,  and  civil  war  brought  desolation  in  their  wake.  Such  was  the 
country  encountered  by  the  Spaniards. 

In  this  summary  of  Maya  history  very  little  has  been  said  of  the  east  coast. 
We  have  seen,  however,  that  it  was  settled  by  the  Maya,  who  apparently  found 
it  uninhabited,  during  the  Cenial,  or  Little  Descent.  The  settlements  thus  made 
have  left  no  remains  except  stela  1  at  Tulum  and  perhaps  the  Cozumel  stela.  So 
we  judge  that  they  were  not  permanent,  but  that  the  inhabitants  were  swept  away 
by  the  unrest  of  the  Dark  Ages.  New  settlements  arose  on  the  east  coast  during 
the  period  of  the  League  of  Mayapan  and  flourished  until  the  conquest  of  that  region 
by  the  Spaniards  in  1 544.  They  are  the  cities  described  in  this  work. 

The  Mexican  allies  introduced  by  the  rulers  of  Mayapan  brought  with  them 
cultural  features  which  permeated  to  the  east  coast,  as  we  shall  see  later.  In 
addition,  it  is  probable  that  some  of  these  strangers  actually  settled  in  the  region  we 
are  discussing.  This  assertion  is  based  on  documents  concerning  a  lawsuit  in 
Valladolid  in  the  year  1618,  when  a  native  named  Juan  Kahuil  made  claim  to 
descent  from  an  invader  mentioned  by  name  and  was  sustained  by  several  witnesses. 
One  of  these  witnesses  testified:1 

“He  heard  his  father  and  other  leading  Indians  say  that  the  parties  above  men¬ 
tioned  in  the  first  question  came  from  the  kingdom  of  Mexico  to  found  towns  in  these 
provinces;  some  remained  in  Chichen  Itza,  who  were  those  who  built  the  sumptuous 


1  Brinton,  1882,  p.  117. 


10 


edifices  which  are  in  the  said  locality;  others  went  to  found  towns  at  Bacalar,  and 
others  went  to  found  towns  on  the  coast  to  the  north;  and  he  who  went  to  found  towns 
on  the  coast  was  named  Cacalpuc,  from  whom  proceeds  the  said  Don  Juan  Kahuil,  and 
those  who  thus  made  division  went  to  found  towns  in  the  above-mentioned  provinces, 
and  held  them  under  subjection  and  government;  and  he  chose  a  certain  Cocom  to 
rule  in  Chichen  Itza,  and  they  obeyed  him  as  lord,  and  those  of  the  island  of  Cozumel 

were  subject  to  him . Those  who  came  from  Mexico  were  four  kinsmen  or  relatives 

with  their  friends  and  the  people  they  brought  with  them;  one  settled,  as  heretofore  said 
at  Chichen  Itza,  one  went  to  settle  at  Bacalar,  one  went  towards  the  north  and  settled 
on  the  coast,  and  the  other  went  towards  Cozumel;  and  they  founded  towns  with  their 
people,  and  were  lords  of  these  provinces,  and  governed  them  and  ruled  them  many 
years . ” 

THE  EAST  COAST  AT  THE  TIME  OF  ITS  DISCOVERY. 

“They  say  that  in  the  time  of  the  infidelity  of  its  natives,”  writes  Cogolludo,1 
“this  province  or  kingdom  of  Yucatan  did  not  have  one  common  name  by  which 
they  knew  its  boundaries  and  territory;  because  as  it  was  subject  to  different 

lords  ....  each  one  placed  his  name  to  the  different  parts  where  he  lived . 

But  formerly  it  had  all  been  subject  to  one  lord  and  king  ....  and  so  all  this  land 
used  to  be  called  Mayapan.”  The  same  author  in  other  places  and  also  other 
writers  state  that  Mayapan  was  more  properly  applied  to  the  city  of  that  name, 
and  the  word  Maya  was  given  to  all  the  territory  ruled  by  the  lords  of  Mayapan. 
However,  it  is  clear  that  at  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards,  long  alter  the 
downfall  of  the  Cocom  family,  the  name  Maya  was  given  only  to  the  territory  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  Mayapan  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  peninsula  of 
Yucatan.  It  is  thus  shown  on  a  map  in  the  Islario  of  Alonso  de  Santa  Cruz  and 
on  the  Turin  map  ol  1523. 

Several  other  names  have  been  applied  to  the  whole  peninsula.  Both  de  Lancia 
and  Lizana  say  that  it  was  called  Uluumil  cuz  etel  ceh,  “the  land  of  turkeys  and 
deer,”  a  term  comparable  to  the  biblical  “land  of  milk  and  honey.”  We  dcubt  if 
this  phrase  was  ever  commonly  used,  although  Cochua,  “broad  bread”  (i.  e.,  “land 
ol  plenty”),  is  ol  a  similar  type  and  was  in  daily  use  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest. 
The  point,  however,  is  not  of  great  importance,  for  it  is  certain  that  Cogolludo’s 
statement  is  true  that  many  local  names  were  applied  to  the  country  when  Euro¬ 
peans  first  entered  it.  We  shall  therelore  discuss  the  names  found  on  various 
portions  ol  the  east  coast. 

Three  general  names  were  given  to  the  southern  part  ol  the  east  coast:  Chet- 
umal,  Guaymil,  and  Bachalal.  Chetumal,  or  Chectumal,  according  to  Oviedo,2 
was  a  town  2  leagues  from  the  sea  and  “almost  surrounded  by  water,  for  the  sea  is 
on  one  side  and  the  lagoon  on  the  other.”  This  description  enables  us  to  locate 
the  town  on  the  strip  of  land  between  Bacalar  Lagoon  and  Chetumal  Bay.  The 
“province  of  Chetumal”  included  this  piece  ol  land  and  probably  also  the  shores  ol 
the  bay  and  part  of  northern  British  Honduras.  Ol  other  towns  in  this  region  we 
may  name  Bachalal,  on  the  shores  ol  the  lagoon;  Chamlacao,  on  an  island  in  the 


1  Vol.  1,  p.  ioo. 


2  Lib.  xxxii,  cap.  vi. 


11 


lagoon;  Chequitaquil,  where  Alonso  Davila  defeated  the  natives;  and  Xamanzana, 
where  Aguilar  was  made  captive  in  151 1. 

The  province  of  Guaymil  lay  north  and  west  of  Bacalar  Lagoon,  on  which  it 
touched.  According  to  Oviedo  and  Alonso  Davila,  the  principal  towns  were 
Chable,  9  leagues  from  the  lagoon;  Ma^anaho,  1  leagues  from  the  lagoon;  Yunpeten 
and  Imipete.  Although  all  of  these  appear  to  have  been  settlements  of  considerable 
size,  we  can  not  to-day  locate  any  of  them. 

Bachalal1  was  a  town  on  the  western  side  of  the  lagoon,  the  inhabitants  of 
which  subsisted  by  acting  as  ferrymen  for  their  neighbors.  We  have  already  seen 
that  Bachalal  or  Ziyan  caan  was  the  first  region  in  Yucatan  to  be  settled  by  the 
Maya.  I  can  find  no  evidence  that  the  word  was  applied  to  more  than  the  town  at 
the  time  of  the  Conquest.  After  the  Spaniards  had  settled  in  the  region,  however, 
they  gave  the  name  to  all  southeastern  Yucatan  in  the  corrupted  form  of  Bacalar, 
and  the  names  Chetumal  and  Guaymil  soon  dropped  out  of  use. 

The  next  province  to  the  north  of  Guaymil  was  Cochua.  The  southernmost 
town  was  Tabi,  and  other  settlements  were  Chikincenote,  Ixmul,  Kanpocolche, 
Tulma,  Hoya,  Tihosuco,  and  Zama.  Many  of  these  places  existed  until  the  War 
of  the  Castes,  in  the  nineteenth  century;  so  we  can  lay  down  the  borders  of  the 
province  with  more  certainty  than  usual.  Tihosuco  has  bequeathed  us  a  book  of 
Chilam  Balam  which  is  now  lost.  Zama  can  be  identified  with  some  certainty  as 
the  ancient  name  of  Tulum.  Xelha  or  Xala  must  be  near  the  northern  boundary. 
Ascencion  Bay,  which  was  formerly  called  Zamabac,  was  in  this  province,  but 
Espiritu  Santo  Bay  may  have  been  in  Guaymil.  In  the  Relaciones 2  it  is  stated  that 
the  native  ruler  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest  was  Nacahun  Cochua,  who  dwelt  in 
Tihosuco.  Sanchez  de  Aguilar,3  however,  says  that  the  Cochua  family  lived  in 
Ychomul  (Ichmul).  Another  statement  in  the  Relaciones  is  to  the  effect  that 
Naobon  Capul  ruled  the  province  of  Cochua.  This  we  doubt,  however,  for  the 
Capul  family  are  known  to  have  governed  the  territory  around  the  present  Valla¬ 
dolid,  the  ancient  Zotuta.  To-day  the  first  captain  of  General  Mai,  the  chief  of  the 
Chan  Santa  Cruz  Indians,  who  now  dominate  the  east  coast,  is  Desiderio  Cochua. 
This  man  is  the  logical  successor  to  General  Mai,  so  that  it  seems  possible  that  the 
Cochua  family  will  again  hold  sway  over  the  province  of  that  name,  for  the  present 
independent  territory  closely  approximates  the  boundaries  of  the  ancient  province. 

On  the  coast  north  of  Cochua  lay  the  province  of  Ekab,  called  Belma  by 
Oviedo.  Its  capital  was  Mochi,  but  the  most  important  town  seems  to  have  been 
Pole,  which  was  the  port  of  embarkation  for  the  island  of  Cozumel  and  through 
which  throngs  of  pilgrims  passed  annually.  The  province  extended  to  the  north¬ 
ward  certainly  as  far  as  Mugeres  Island  and  probably  to  Cape  Catoche.  The 
ruined  cities  which  we  shall  describe  all  lay  in  either  Cochua  or  Ekab. 

1  The  name  is  derived  from  bac,  “around,”  and  halal reed,”  i.  c.,  “place  surrounded  by  reeds,”  a  direct  translation 
of  the  Nahuatl  Tula  or  Tollan,  the  legendary  home  of  most  the  tribes  of  Anahuac.  Considerable  confusion  is  caused  by 
the  Spanish  corruption  of  the  word  to  Bacalal  and  Bacalar.  The  latter  we  have  used  to  designate  the  lagoon  as  it  exists 
to-day  and  have  used  the  correct  spelling,  Bachalal,  in  referring  to  the  aboriginal  town  or  province. 

2  Relaciones  de  Yucatan ,  vol.  n,  p.  96. 

3  I9°°>  P-  95- 


12 


West  of  Ekab  were  the  provinces  of  Conil,  Choaca,  and  Zotuta.  Conil  em¬ 
braced  the  coast  just  west  of  Cape  Catoche.  Choaca  occupied  the  salt  lagoons 
and  the  land  just  south  of  them.  Zotuta  was  the  territory  around  the  present 
town  of  Valladolid. 


Fig.  i. — Map  of  eastern  Yucatan,  showing  ancient  cities  and  provinces. 

Of  Yucatan  in  general,  de  Landa1  writes:  “Before  the  Spaniards  gained  this 
land  the  natives  lived  together  in  towns  in  great  good  order,  and  they  kept  the  land 
clean  and  free  from  evil  plants,  and  they  set  out  very  fine  trees.”  Of  the  provinces 
of  Cochua  and  Chetumal  the  same  author  says  that  in  his  time  they  had  been 
completely  desolated,  as  indeed  they  remain  to  this  day,  save  for  the  descendants  of 
the  few  who  were  resolute  enough  to  flee  the  Spanish  yoke. 


1 1864,  p.  90. 


13 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  YUCATAN. 

On  July  30,  1 502,  Christopher  Columbus,  then  on  his  fourth  and  last  voyage, 
sighted  the  island  of  Guanaja  off  the  north  coast  of  Honduras.  Putting  in  here,  he 
found  a  large  canoe,  8  feet  wide  and  of  great  length,  made  from  a  single  log.  In  it, 
beneath  a  canopy,  sat  a  wealthy  merchant,  who,  with  a  crew  of  twenty-five  men, 
had  come  to  sell  his  wares.  The  clothes,  the  weapons,  the  utensils,  of  these  people 
were  such  as  the  Spaniards  had  not  yet  seen  in  the  New  World.  This  canoe,  in  the 
opinion  of  most  historians,  came  from  Yucatan,  and  the  statement  is  commonly 
made  that  Columbus  should  have  gone  there  after  learning  about  that  land  from 
the  occupants  of  the  canoe.  I  can  find  only  one  direct  statement  in  an  early  account 
that  this  canoe  came  from  Yucatan.  It  is  contained  in  a  letter  written  by  Bar¬ 
tholomew  Columbus  in  1 505  and  now  preserved  in  the  Magliabecchi  Library  of 
Florence.  In  this  manuscript  it  is  stated  that  the  canoe  came  from  “a  certain 
province  called  Maiam  or  YTicatan.”1  Brinton  (1882),  however,  says  ( fide  Berendt) 
that  the  words  “or  YTicatan”  are  later  additions  and  are  not  part  of  the  original 
text.  As  the  north  coast  of  Honduras,  less  than  30  miles  from  Guanaja,  was  called 
“Maia,”  there  is  no  necessity  at  all  of  connecting  the  canoe  with  Yucatan. 

De  Solis  and  Pinzon,  who  in  the  year  1508  sailed  to  “  those  lands  called  Chabaca 
and  Pintigron,”  have  been  credited  with  the  discovery  of  Yucatan.  The  actual 
course,  indeed  even  the  date,  of  this  voyage  has  been  in  dispute  for  centuries. 
Harrisse,2  however,  has  assembled  rather  overwhelming  proof  that  the  voyage  took 
place  in  1508  and  that  these  famous  pilots  went  east  and  south  from  the  bay  of 
Honduras  and  not  westward  towards  Yucatan. 

In  1 5 1 1  the  contador  Valdivia,  in  a  ship  from  Darien  sent  by  Vasco  Nunez 
de  Balboa,  was  wrecked  on  the  shoals  of  Las  Vivoras  near  Jamaica.  The  crew  and 
passengers  escaped  in  a  small  boat  and  drifted  for  two  weeks  before  they  reached 
land.  Where  they  actually  reached  the  shore  is  a  point  on  which  the  sixteenth- 
century  writers  do  not  agree.  At  all  events,  they  were  immediately  captured  and 
four  men  were  sacrificed  and  eaten.  The  remainder  were  imprisoned  but  managed 
to  escape,  and  after  journeying  for  some  distance  they  were  recaptured  and  made 
slaves.  All  historians  place  the  scene  of  the  second  captivity  at  Chetumal  and  at 
Xamanzana,  5  leagues  away,  except  Sanchez  de  Aguilar,  who  says  that  they  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Kinich,  lord  of  Zama,  which  we  believe  to  have  been  the  city  now 
known  as  Tulum.  The  harsh  labors  which  the  unfortunate  captives  were  forced  to 
perform  in  the  next  few  years  resulted  in  the  death  of  all  except  two,  one  of  whom, 
Geronimo  de  Aguilar,  was  ransomed  by  Cortes.  The  companions  of  Valdivia  were 
the  first  Europeans  definitely  known  to  have  come  in  contact  with  the  Maya. 

In  the  year  1517  Francisco  Hernandez  de  Cordoba  left  Cuba  with  three  or 
four  ships  to  search  for  slaves.  After  several  days  at  sea,  during  which  bad  weather 
was  encountered,  he  reached  the  east  coast  of  YTicatan.  The  place  of  his  landfall 
is  in  dispute,  and  historians  are  divided  in  opinion  between  (1)  Cape  Catoche 

1  “Una  cierta  provintia  chamata  maiam  vel  iucatam.”  Informatione  di  Bartolomeo  Colombo  della  Navicatione  di 
Poniente  et  Garbin  de  Beragua  nel  Mondo  Novo.  In  Henry  Harrisse,  Biblioteca  Americana  Vetustissima.  Appendix,  p.  473. 

2  The  discovery  of  North  America.  London,  1892,  pp.  453-465. 


14 


(Great  Cairo)  and  (2)  Punta  de  Mugeres  on  Mugeres  Island.  Bernal  Diaz,1  an  eye 
witness,  says  that  the  landing  took  place  near  Cape  Catoche,  when  “from  the  ships 

could  be  seen  a  large  town  standing  back  from  the  coast  about  2  leagues . We 

named  it  the  Great  Cairo.”  He  also  describes  how  the  Spaniards  landed  and  fought 
with  the  natives.  Nearby  was  “a  small  plaza  with  three  houses  built  of  masonry 
which  served  as  cues  and  oratories.  These  houses  contained  many  pottery  idols, 
some  with  faces  of  demons  and  others  with  women’s  faces.”  According  to  Bernal 
Diaz,  the  punta  de  Mugeres  was  not  visited  until  1519,  when  Cortes  touched  there. 
His  text  states  that  there  were  “farms  and  maize  plantations,  and  some  places 
where  the  Indians  made  salt,  and  there  were  four  cues,  which  are  the  houses  of  their 
idols,  and  there  were  many  idols  in  them,  nearly  all  of  them  with  figures  of  tall 
women,  so  that  we  called  the  place  the  Punta  de  Mugeres.”2  Both  these  accounts 
record  the  presence  of  female  idols,  and  Mugeres  Island  doubtless  received  its  name 
for  this  reason.  The  exact  landing-point  is  not  of  great  importance  to  us,  and  the 
reader  desiring  further  information  is  referred  to  a  recent  paper  by  Professor  M.  H. 
Saville  (1918). 

Hernandez  de  Cordoba,  after  making  his  discovery,  sailed  northward,  doubled 
Cape  Catoche,  and  skirted  the  north  coast  of  Yucatan  past  the  provinces  of  Conil 
and  Maya  to  Campeachy  and  then  Champoton.  At  the  latter  place  his  force  was 
badly  defeated  by  the  natives,  who  are  said  to  have  been  organized  by  Gonzalo 
Guerrero,  one  of  the  surviving  companions  of  Valdivia,  who  had  thrown  in  his  lot 
with  the  aborigines  and  had  risen  to  the  rank  of  war  chief.  The  Spaniards  were 
thus  forced  to  put  back  to  Cuba,  where,  two  weeks  later,  Hernandez  de  Cordoba 
died  of  the  twelve  wounds  he  had  received  in  his  encounter  with  the  Indians. 

The  report  of  riches  brought  back  by  the  survivors  of  this  expedition  aroused 
the  avarice  of  the  governor  of  Cuba,  Diego  Velasquez,  a  man  whose  ill  fortune 
it  was  to  despatch  the  troops  who  were  to  win  untold  wealth  on  the  mainland  for 
themselves  and  Spain,  but  who  himself  failed  to  reap  the  golden  rewards,  for  he 
lacked  sufficient  character  to  control  the  adventurers  who  thronged  his  jurisdiction 
at  that  time.  Velasquez  now  organized  another  expedition  to  follow  up  the  dis¬ 
coveries  of  Hernandez  de  Cordoba.  The  command  was  entrusted  to  the  governor’s 
nephew,  Juan  de  Grijalva. 

Grijalva,  in  command  of  four  ships,  set  sail  from  Santiago  de  Cuba  on  April  8, 
1518,  and  reached  the  island  of  Cozumel  on  May  3.  His  ships  passed  around  the 
island  and  anchored  inside  the  southern  point  in  sight  of  a  tall  tower. 

Several  descriptions  of  the  island  at  this  time  have  come  down  to  us.  Bernal 
Diaz:i  writes  that  there  were  three  large  towns,  that  Grijalva  landed  at  the  largest, 
and  that  one  of  the  others  was  at  the  north  end  of  the  island.  Juan  Diaz,  the  chap¬ 
lain  of  Grijalva,  has  written  a  description  which  we  must  quote  at  some  length. 
Of  the  temple  where  Grijalva  claimed  possession  of  the  land  he  writes: 

“One  ascended  this  tower  by  eighteen  steps;  the  base  was  very  massive;  it  was  180 
feet  in  circumference.  On  top  there  was  a  little  tower  as  high  as  two  men;  within  were 
figures,  hones,  and  cenise4  of  idols  which  they  worshipped.” 


1  Vol.  1,  pp.  14-17.  2  Op.  cit.  p.  104.  3  Vol.  1,  p.  41. 

4  Thisjnay  be  a  corruption  of  the  Tainan  word  Zetni,  here  used  in  the  sense  of  “images.” 


15 


Of  th  e  town,  Juan  Diaz  says: 

“This  village  or  town  was  well  paved  with  concave  stones;  the  roads,  raised  on  the 
sides,  incline  towards  the  centre,  which  is  paved  with  large  stones.  The  sides  were 
occupied  by  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants.  They  were  constructed  of  stone  from  the 
foundation  to  half  the  height  of  the  wall  and  were  covered  with  straw.  To  judge  by  the 
edifices  and  houses,  these  Indians  appear  very  ingenious;  and  if  one  had  not  seen  several 
recent  constructions,  one  would  have  thought  these  buildings  were  the  work  of  the 
Spaniards.” 

“Walking  for  three  or  four  miles  into  the  interior,”  says  Juan  Diaz,  “we  saw 
edifices  and  habitations  separated  one  from  another  and  very  well  constructed.” 

On  May  7  Grijalva  sailed  over  to  the  coast  of  Yucatan,  where  he  passed — 

“three  large  towns  separated  from  each  other  by  about  2  miles.  There  were  many 

houses  of  stone,  very  tall  towers,  and  buildings  covered  with  straw . We  followed 

the  shore  day  and  night,  and  the  next  day  towards  sunset  we  perceived  a  city  or  town 
so  large,  that  Seville  would  not  have  seemed  more  considerable  nor  better;  one  saw  there 
a  very  large  tower;  on  the  shore  was  a  great  throng  of  Indians,  who  bore  two  standards 
which  they  raised  and  lowered  to  signal  us  to  approach  them;  the  commander  did  not 


Fig.  3. — Tulum  from  the  sea. 


wish  it.  The  same  day  we  came  to  a  beach  near  which  was  the  highest  tower  we  had 
seen  and  one  discerned  a  very  considerable  town;  the  country  was  watered  by  many 
rivers;  we  discovered  a  bay  .so  large  that  a  fleet  might  enter.  It  was  lined  with  wooden 
buildings  set  up  by  fishermen.” 

The  identification  of  the  five  cities  passed  by  Grijalva  is  not  certain,  but  the 
bay  was  undoubtedly  Ascencion  Bay  and  in  all  probability  the  large  city  as  big  as 
Seville  was  none  other  than  Tulum. 

Grijalva  now  turned  back,  doubled  Cape  Catoche,  and  sailed  away  along  the 
shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  We  shall  not  follow  his  fortunes  in  detail.  Suffice 
it  to  say  that  he  returned  to  Cuba  after  sailing  as  far  northward,  say  some,  as  the 
Rio  Panuco,  and  that  he  brought  tidings  of  the  great  wealth  of  Anahuac.  Upon 
his  arrival  he  found  the  governor,  Diego  Velasquez,  had  lost  confidence  in  him  and 
had  sent  Cristobal  de  Olid  in  a  small  ship  to  find  out  what  he  was  doing.  Olid  had 
reached  Cozumel  and  had  followed  the  coast  westward  for  some  distance.  Gri¬ 
jalva’s  conduct  was  strongly  criticised  by  his  captains,  and  the  governor  determined 
to  depose  him  from  his  command. 


16 


The  man  chosen  to  lead  an  expedition  to  obtain  the  wealth  seen  by  Grijalva 
was  Hernan  Cortes,  the  future  conqueror  of  Mexico.  Cortes’s  fleet  sailed  on 
February  18,  1519.  It  was  dispersed  by  a  storm,  but  was  reunited  behind  the 
north  end  of  Cozumel  Island.  Here  Cortes  caused  the  idols  in  a  native  temple  to 
be  cast  down  and  set  up  a  cross  and  an  image  of  the  Virgin  in  their  stead.  Here 
also  he  ransomed  the  unfortunate  Aguilar,  whose  misfortunes  on  sea  and  on  land 
have  already  been  described.  So  much  accomplished,  Cortes  set  sail,  but  was 
forced  to  put  in  at  the  Punta  de  Mugeres  to  search  for  a  ship  lost  in  a  storm.  He 
then  proceeded  on  his  way  to  Mexico. 

From  this  time  forward  Cozumel  appears  to  have  been  a  regular  port  of  call  for 
ships  sailing  between  Mexico  and  Cuba.  The  mainland  was  avoided  by  the 
Spaniards,  however,  for  there  nothing  was  to  be  gained  in  the  way  of  treasure  and 
only  hard  blows  awaited  those  who  landed.  This  state  of  affairs  endured  for 
nine  years. 

THE  CONQUEST  OF  YUCATAN. 

The  records  of  the  conquest  of  Yucatan  kept  by  the  Spaniards  are  meager 
and  unsatisfactory,  and  information  relating  to  the  east  coast  is  exceedingly  scarce. 
The  reasons  for  this  are  several.  In  the  first  place,  there  were  not  many  survivors 
left  to  write  about  some  events.  Also,  no  priests  accompanied  the  earlier  expedi¬ 
tions,  and  this  class  of  men  created  much  of  the  literature  of  the  period.  Finally, 
the  cruelty  and  wholesale  extermination  practiced  on  the  east  coast  and  the  exten¬ 
sive  traffic  in  slaves  were  subjects  to  be  consigned  to  oblivion  rather  than  set  forth 
in  writing. 

The  fullest  account  of  the  expeditions  of  Montejo  and  of  Davila  on  the  east 
coast  is  found  in  Oviedo,1  who  obtained  his  information  from  a  member  of  both 
campaigns,  Alonso  de  Luxan,  “a  man  of  reputation  and  good  memory.”  Alonso 
Davila  has  also  left  an  account  of  his  efforts  to  form  a  settlement  near  Chetumal. 
The  conquest  ol  that  region  is  described  by  Lorenzo  de  Bienvenida,  who  first 
preached  Christianity  there.  Further  information  is  contained  in  the  Relaciones 
de  Yucatan ,  and  certain  details  of  interest  are  to  be  found  in  a  record  written  by 
the  native  chief,  Nakuk  Pech,  and  known  as  the  Chronicle  of  Chicxulub.  Of  prime 
importance  also  are  the  works  of  de  Landa  and  Cogolludo.  The  former  has  few 
historical  data,  but  is  rich  in  detail  concerning  the  habits  and  customs  of  the 
Maya.  Cogolludo,  however,  records  many  historical  events  not  to  be  found  else¬ 
where.  Unfortunately,  Cogolludo  lived  so  long  after  the  Conquest  that  informa¬ 
tion  obtained  from  eye  witnesses  was  precluded.  Indeed,  the  very  date  of  Montejo’s 
sailing  for  Yucatan  had  been  forgotten. 

Modern  historical  works  on  Yucatan  are  largely  based  on  the  sources  indicated 
above.  Among  these  Fancourt’s  “History  of  Yucatan”  and  Bancroft’s  “History 
of  Mexico”  are  accessible  to  English  readers.  There  are  also  several  important 
histories  in  Spanish,  among  which  we  should  mention  the  works  of  Carillo  y  Ancona, 
Molina  y  Solis,  and  Elegio  Ancona. 

1  Lib.  xxxii. 


17 


Francisco  de  Montejo,  the  conqueror  of  Yucatan,  was  born  in  Salamanca. 
In  the  year  1514  he  came  to  Panama  in  company  with  Pedrarias  Davila.  As 
that  country  appeared  to  offer  little  chance  for  advancement,  he  crossed  to  Cuba, 
where  he  took  service  under  Diego  Velasquez.  He  accompanied  Grijalva  in  1518, 
and  in  1519  he  became  one  of  the  captains  of  Cortes.  He  was  chosen  by  Cortes 
to  carry  the  first  treasure  obtained  in  Mexico  to  the  court  of  Spain.  Returning 
after  the  Conquest,  he  received  a  generous  grant  of  Indians.  In  1526  he  again 
went  to  Spain,  but  his  restless  spirit  forbade  his  settling  there. 

On  the  8th  of  December,  1526,  Montejo  signed  a  contract  by  which  he  under¬ 
took  to  conquer  Yucatan,  for  which  he  received  the  title  of  Adelantado  on  Feb¬ 
ruary  15,  1527.  Some  time  then  elasped,  during  which  he  recruited  a  following. 
He  finally  sailed  with  a  number  of  men,  given  variously  as  380,  400,  and  500  (the 
first  being  the  correct  number  probably),  in  two  (some  say  three)  ships,  from  San 
Lucar  de  Barramedo  in  May  1 528.  He  touched  at  the  city  of  Santo  Domingo,  where 
he  acquired  53  horses,  and  finally  reached  Cozumel  toward  the  end  of  September. 

According  to  Oviedo,  he  passed  only  four  days  at  Cozumel  and  then  proceeded 
to  the  mainland,  where  he  founded  a  town,  at  the  distance  of  half  a  league  from 
Xala  (Xelha),  which  he  called  Salamanca.1  The  site  chosen  was  swampy  and 
unhealthy  and  more  than  40  men  soon  died;  so,  leaving  behind  some  40  others, 
who  were  sick,  the  Adelantado  pushed  northward  for  15  leagues  to  a  town  called 
Pole,  where  about  half  of  his  company  died.  Leaving  behind  20  sick  men,  Montejo 
came  to  the  coast  opposite  Cozumel  with  only  90  men  fit  for  work.  At  this  point 
fortune  favored  him,  for  he  encountered  Unopate  (Ah  Naum  Pat),  a  cacique  from 
Cozumel,  who  was  proceeding  with  400  men  to  the  marriage  of  his  sister  with  a 
mainland  chief.  Unopate  directed  them  to  Mochi,  the  head  of  the  province  of 
Belma,  a  town  of  100  houses  and  many  cues.  There  they  were  well  fed  and  passed 
two  months  recuperating,  and  they  were  given  two  medals  of  gold,  which  the 
natives  called  alquin. 

At  length,  leaving  Mochi,  they  marched  northward,  passing  through  towns  of 
1,000  or  1,500  houses,  until  they  came  to  Conil,  a  town  of  5,000  houses,  where  they 
were  well  received  and  passed  two  months.  Three  leagues  from  Conil  they  reached 
Cachi,  where  they  found  a  great  square  with  a  wooden  column  in  it,  where  justice 
was  administered,  and  also  a  great  market  filled  with  merchandise  and  eatables. 
Two  leagues  beyond  lay  fingimato,  much  of  the  way  thither  passing  through 
incense  trees,  the  products  from  which  served  the  whole  province.  The  next  day 
at  noon,  after  traveling  2  or  3  leagues,  they  came  to  the  outskirts  of  the  great  city 
of  Choaca,  the  center  of  which  they  did  not  reach  until  the  hour  of  vespers.  That 
night  the  inhabitants  abandoned  the  town,  but  the  next  morning  the  Spaniards 
were  attacked  with  great  vigor  amid  the  noise  of  drums  and  conch-shells  and  great 
clamor.  However,  the  Spaniards  in  dead  silence  got  to  horse  and  put  the  Indians 

1  According  to  Bias  Gonzales  ( Relaciones  de  Yuc,  n,  p.  hi),  Montejo  landed  at  Soliman,  which  is  now  the  name  of  a 
point  between  Tulum  and  Xelha.  The  priests  who  had  accompanied  the  expedition  were  sent  on  to  Mexico  to  give  notice 
of  the  landing.  For  two  months  Montejo  made  no  move  and  fifty  soldiers  died.  Soliman  (which  name  might  be  a  native 
corruption  of  Salamanca)  was  half  a  league  from  Xelha  and  a  league  from  Zama. 


18 


to  flight  with  the  loss  of  io  or  12  of  their  own  men  and  many  Indians,  including 
10  chiefs.  The  next  day  the  defeated  natives  sued  for  peace,  and  two  days 
later  the  Spaniards  passed  to  another  large  city  called  Aku  (Ake),  which  was 
abandoned  upon  their  approach.  The  next  day  they  were  again  attacked,  and 
they  defeated  the  Indians  without  losing  a  man,  although  some  were  wounded. 
Obtaining  bearers  from  the  conquered  inhabitants  of  Aku,  they  marched  4  leagues 
to  £i$ia,  the  largest  city  yet  encountered.  Four  leagues  farther  lay  Loche,  an 
even  greater  place.  The  chief  of  Loche  received  Montejo  behind  a  thin  curtain, 
that  he  might  not  be  contaminated  by  the  presence  of  a  foreigner,  and  only  de¬ 
signed  to  speak  a  few  words,  which  were  then  expanded  by  his  attendants.  From 
this  town  the  Spaniards  returned  to  Salamanca,  where  they  found  a  few  surviv¬ 
ing  among  those  left  behind,  so  that  the  whole  force  was  now  reduced  to  but 
little  more  than  80  men. 

At  this  juncture  a  caravel  bearing  supplies  arrived  from  Santo  DDmingo.  In 
it  Montejo  set  sail  southward.  Alonso  de  Luxan  was  placed  in  charge  of  a  few 
men  at  Salamanca,  who  were  to  build  another  small  vessel  and  then  follow  Montejo. 
The  remaining  men,  about  40  in  number,  were  given  to  Alonso  Davila  with  instruc¬ 
tions  to  follow  Montejo  by  land  along  the  coast. 

Montejo  sailed  southward  for  80  leagues  until  he  reached  the  town  of  Chetu- 
mal,  which  stood  near  the  shores  of  the  bay  which  to-day  bears  this  name.  Land¬ 
ing  at  night,  he  was  able  to  take  four  prisoners,  from  whom  he  learned  of  the 
presence  among  the  Indians  of  a  Spaniard  named  Gonzalo. 

This  strange  character,  known  variously  as  Gonzalo  Guerrero,  Gonzalo 
Marinero,  etc.,  had  been  one  ol  the  companions  of  the  ill-fated  Valdivia,  an  emissary 
of  Vasco  Nunez  de  Balboa,  who  had  been  shipwrecked  near  Jamaica  in  the  year 
15 1 1.  After  drifting  for  two  weeks  in  an  open  boat  the  survivors  landed  in  a  prov¬ 
ince  called  Maia,1  where  several  were  sacrificed  and  eaten.  The  rest  escaped  and 
were  recaptured  near  Chetumal,  where  they  became  slaves.  Rumors  of  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  Spaniards  in  the  interior  had  reached  the  ears  of  Hernandez  de  Cordoba 
in  1517,  and,  spurred  by  this,  Cortes  discovered  the  whereabouts  of  two  survivors 
of  Valdivia’s  party,  one  being  Aguilar,  who  was  ransomed,  and  the  other  Gonzalo. 
The  latter  had  risen  to  rank  through  his  prowess  in  war,  had  been  tattooed,  had 
pierced  his  ears  and  lips,  and  had  married  “a  prime  lady  of  that  land,”  by  whom  he 
had  three  children.  In  short,  he  had  thrown  in  his  lot  with  the  aborigines,  and  he 
refused  the  ransom  offered  by  Cortes — wisely,  as  it  turned  out,  for  the  Spaniards 
later  learned  that  he  had  organized  the  attack  on  Hernandez  de  Cordoba  at  Cham- 
poton.  After  many  years  of  oblivion,  Gonzalo  again  appears  in  history  through 
the  pen  ol  Oviedo. 

When  Montejo  learned  of  the  presence  of  Gonzalo  at  Chetumal,  he  saw  the 
possibility  of  acquiring  a  useful  ally— a  man  whose  knowledge  fitted  him  for  a 
part  such  as  that  played  by  the  famous  dona  Marina  in  the  conquest  of  Mexico. 
Hence  he  sent  Gonzalo  a  letter  in  which  he  promised  him  all  manner  of  good  things 

1  The  fullest  account  of  this  tale  is  given  by  Gomara,  who  is  followed  by  most  subsequent  historians.  A  different 
version  is  found  in  Bernal  Diaz’s  “True  history.” 


19 


if  he  would  side  with  the  Spaniards.  Gonzalo  craftily  answered  that  he  was  only 
an  insignificant  Indian  slave,  but  that  he  would  do  what  he  could.  This  consisted  in 
erecting  fortifications  to  oppose  the  Spaniards.  Gonzalo  also  sent  a  message  to 
Alonso  Davila  that  Montejo  was  dead,  and  he  caused  Montejo  to  be  informed  that 
Davila  was  dead. 

Thoroughly  discouraged  by  this  news,  Montejo  left  Chetumal  and  followed 
the  coast  southward  as  far  as  the  Ulua  River,  whence  he  returned  to  Cozumel. 
There  in  mutual  surprise  Montejo  and  Davila  met.  The  latter  had  turned  back 
on  his  march  along  the  coast  on  hearing  of  the  supposed  death  of  his  leader  and 
had  returned  to  Salamanca.  Later  he  had  moved  up  the  coast  and  had  settled  at 
famanca,  the  place  where  Montejo  had  met  the  chief  Naum  Pat,  as  described 
above.  Thence  he  journeyed  to  Cozumel  for  a  few  days,  where  he  encountered  his 
leader,  Montejo. 

Montejo  now  departed  for  Mexico  to  obtain  help  from  Cortes,  and  he  does 
not  again  figure  directly  in  the  history  of  the  east  coast.  He  left  Alonso  Davila 
as  his  lieutenant,  whose  fortunes  or  rather  misfortunes  we  shall  follow.  Davila 
was  soon  summoned  by  his  chief  to  aid  in  the  conquest  of  Tabasco.  After  the 
series  of  events  which  culminated  in  the  capture  of  what  is  now  the  town  of  Cam- 
peachy,  he  set  out  with  75  men  and  15  horses  to  capture  Chetumal  and  to  search 
for  gold  in  that  region.  From  Campeachy,  according  to  Oviedo,  Davila’s  route 
lay  lor  30  leagues  through  the  province  of  Tutuxio  (Tutul  Xiu).  He  then  entered 
a  province  about  40  leagues  wide,  known  as  Cochua  or  Cochuaque,  where  he 
stopped  for  a  while  at  the  town  of  Tulmo  or  Tulma,  which  was  situated  near 
some  lakes.  He  then  advanced  to  Chable,  in  the  province  of  Guaymil,  9  leagues 
north  of  Bacalar  Lagoon.  Here  Davila  sent  a  summons  to  the  chief  of  Chetu¬ 
mal,  who  refused  to  appear.  Hence  the  Spaniards  decided  to  attack  the  town 
of  Chetumal,  for  which  purpose  they  secured  the  aid  of  the  chiefs  of  Maganhao, 
Yunpeten,  Chable,  and  other  places  in  the  province  of  Guaymil.  The  allies 
crossed  the  lake  in  canoes  furnished  by  the  Indians  of  Bachalal,  but  found  Chetumal 
abandoned  and  all  provisions  removed.  The  town  itself,  consisting  of  2,000  houses, 
was  built  on  a  peninsula  and  almost  surrounded  with  water.  In  the  neighborhood 
there  were  between  1,000  and  2,000  beehives  filled  with  honey,  and  orchards  of 
various  kinds  of  fruits.  In  this  land  of  plenty  Alonso  Davila  founded  the  town 
of  Ciudad  or  Villa  Real. 

The  inhabitants  of  Chetumal  had  retreated  northward  for  3  leagues  to  Che- 
quitaquil.  Davila  embarked  a  small  force  in  boats  and  successfully  carried  out  a 
surprise  attack,  which  yielded  captives1  and  a  sum  of  gold  given  variously  as 
600  or  1,000  pesos,  as  well  as  emeralds,  turquoises,  and  masks  of  gold.  This  was 
the  first  gold  in  any  quantity  obtained  by  the  Spaniards.  It  was  immediately 
sent  to  Montejo  with  a  guard  of  six  men,  together  with  a  request  for  reinforcements. 

1  These  captives  informed  Davila  that  Gonzalo  Guerrero  was  dead,  whether  in  battle  or  of  sickness  it  is  not  stated. 
Oviedo,  lib.  xxxii,  cap.  vi. 


Two  weeks  later  Davila  went  to  Maganhao,  a  town  of  3,000  houses  lying  just 
north  of  the  Bacalar  Lagoon.  To  his  surprise  he  found  that  the  province  of 
Guaymil  had  risen  against  him  and  that  the  roads  were  obstructed  with  barricades. 
However,  his  coming  was  unexpected  and  he  entered  the  town  in  peace,  admon¬ 
ished  the  inhabitants,  and  then  pushed  on  7  leagues  to  Chable.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  town  had  fled  to  Imipete,  but  after  four  days  Davila  induced  them  to  return 
to  their  own  dwellings.  Here  he  learned  that  his  messengers  bearing  the  gold  had 
been  treacherously  killed  while  eating  at  the  town  of  Hoya,  in  the  province  of 
Cochua,  some  13  leagues  away. 

Much  perturbed  by  this  news,  Davila  returned  to  Villa  Real.  The  passing 
of  three  months  without  the  return  of  his  men  proved  conclusively  that  they  must 
be  dead.  Native  messengers  were  then  despatched  to  Montejo  from  Bachalal,  but 
again  no  answer  came.  Davila  now  decided  that  the  road  must  be  blocked  in  the 
province  of  Cochua  and  planned  a  campaign  with  the  aid  of  the  chiefs  of  Guaymil. 
Seven  leagues  beyond  Chable  they  came  upon  the  first  town  in  the  province  of 
Cochua,  which  was  defended  by  a  dry  stone  wall  (albarrada),  behind  which  were 
many  Indians.  As  the  Spaniards  started  to  attack,  their  native  allies  deserted, 
taking  with  them  most  of  the  baggage.  The  wall  was  carried,  however,  and  there 
the  Spaniards  passed  a  miserable  night,  for  the  town  had  been  burned  and  the 
inhabitants  had  filled  up  the  only  well,  so  that  little  water  was  to  be  had.  The 
next  day  the  Spaniards  advanced  3  leagues  to  another  wall,  which  they  carried  by 
assault.  Here  they  rested  for  two  days.  Pressing  forward  again  for  2  leagues, 
they  reached  a  very  strong  barricade,  defended  by  many  people,  which  they  could 
not  carry.  Retreat  became  imperative.  Stealing  away  under  cover  of  darkness 
by  an  unused  trail,  they  succeeded  in  avoiding  the  barricades  and  reached  the 
lagoon  of  Bacalar  in  safety  after  three  arduous  days.  This  defeat  made  it  impos¬ 
sible  to  hold  the  country.  Efforts  to  communicate  with  Montejo  had  failed. 
Consequently,  Davila  embarked  the  few  survivors  in  canoes  and  set  sail  for  the 
Spanish  settlement  at  Trujillo  in  Honduras,  where  they  arrived  after  a  long  and 
toilsome  journey. 

While  the  events  just  described  were  taking  place,  the  fortunes  of  the  Adelan- 
tado  Montejo  on  the  west  coast  of  Yucatan  had  not  prospered,  and  many  of  his 
men  had  deserted  in  order  to  go  to  Peru.  With  affairs  at  this  low  ebb,  Montejo 
assigned  to  his  son,  also  named  Francisco,  the  powers  granted  to  him  by  the  King, 
with  the  result  that  the  Conquest  took  on  a  new  lease  of  life.  After  stern  fighting, 
the  Spaniards  finally  became  masters  of  the  western  half  of  the  peninsula.  This 
phase  of  the  Conquest  terminated  with  the  founding  of  the  city  of  Merida  on 
January  6,  1542. 

On  March  13,  1542,  Francisco  de  Montejo  empowered  his  nephew,  who  bore 
the  same  name,  to  undertake  the  conquest  of  the  province  of  Conil  and  north¬ 
eastern  Yucatan.  The  details  of  this  and  subsequent  expeditions  are  for  the  most 
part  unrecorded.  Montejo  is  said  to  have  passed  four  months  in  Teco,  the  last 
town  in  the  province  of  Merida,  where  many  natives  submitted  to  him  voluntarily. 
He  then  went  to  Izconti  in  the  province  of  Copules  and  then  through  the  province 


21 


of  Chiquinchel  on  the  north  coast.  Finally  he  came  to  the  town  of  Choaca, 
which  stood  on  the  north  side  of  a  small  lake,  2  or  3  leagues  from  the  sea,1 
6  leagues  from  the  port  of  El  Cuyo,2  1 5  leagues  from  the  Rio  de  Lagarto,3  and 
about  8  leagues  from  Conil.4  The  Spaniards  now  founded  the  city  of  Valladolid 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  from  Choaca.  In  1544,  Valladolid  was  moved  to 
the  site  of  the  ancient  Zaqui  or  Zaquigual,  where  it  now  stands.  The  date  of 
the  original  foundation  was  May  28,  1543. 

Montejo  waited  in  his  new  city  for  some  time  while  the  chiefs  of  the  Tacees 
came  in  to  submit.  He  then  marched  southward  for  40  leagues  to  the  province 
of  Cochua,  which  he  partly  subdued.  On  his  return  to  Valladolid  the  Indians 
were  divided  as  property  among  their  conquerors. 

Leaving  Francisco  de  fieca  in  command,  Montejo  now  set  out  for  the  east 
coast.  Coming  to  Pole,  he  obtained  a  large  fleet  of  canoes,  in  which  he  obstinately 
set  sail  for  Cozumel  in  spite  of  bad  weather.  His  vessels  came  to  grief  in  mid¬ 
channel  and  he  was  forced  to  put  back,  with  the  loss  of  several  men.  The  chiefs 
of  Cozumel,  however,  crossed  over  to  him  and  formally  submitted  to  the  King  of 
Spain.5  Montejo  then  returned  and  received  the  submission  of  the  Copules. 

The  news  of  the  disaster  to  the  Spaniards  off  Cozumel,  greatly  exaggerated, 
had  spread  southward,  and,  as  a  result,  the  partly  pacified  province  of  Cochua 
now  rose  in  revolt.  Montejo  sent  Francisco  de  ^lieca  to  suppress  the  uprising. 
His  troops  pushed  southward  to  Tabi,  the  last  town  of  the  province.  Complete 
pacification  was  now  secured,  which  Gaspar  de  Pacheco  had  been  unable  to  obtain. 
This  man,  in  the  year  1544,  had  been  sent  to  subdue  the  southeastern  part  of 
Yucatan.  He  had  gone  only  as  far  as  Cochua,  which  he  proceeded  to  plunder. 
He  then  returned  with  his  booty  and  slaves  after  intrusting  the  command  of  the 
expedition  to  his  nephew,  Alonso  Pacheco.6  “Nero,”  writes  Father  Bienvenida, 
“was  not  more  cruel  than  this  man” — a  verdict  which  is  sustained  by  Diego  de 
Landa,  who  was  himself  removed  from  Yucatan  for  his  cruelty  to  the  natives. 

Alonso  Pacheco  now  marched  into  the  province  of  Chetumal.  He  seized  all 
supplies  of  food,  and  the  Indians  took  to  the  woods,  where  great  numbers  starved, 
so  that  towns  which  had  contained  1,000  or  1,500  inhabited  houses  were  reduced 
to  100.  With  his  own  hands  Pacheco  garroted  or  beat  to  death  his  unfortunate 
prisoners.  He  cut  off  the  breasts  of  women  and  caused  others  to  be  thrown  in 
the  water  with  calabashes  tied  to  their  feet,  so  that  they  drowned.  He  cut  off 
the  hands  and  noses  and  ears  of  the  men  and  committed  other  acts  so  atrocious 
that  even  the  callous  historians  of  his  age  shrank  from  putting  them  in  writing. 
His  conquest  completed,  Pacheco  founded  the  towns  of  Salamanca  de  Bacalar  in 
the  year  1 545. 

In  the  year  1 546  a  widespread  revolt  occurred  throughout  the  eastern  provinces. 
A  few  Spaniards  were  cruelly  put  to  death  by  the  natives,  of  whom  many  suffered 

1  Relaciones  u,  p.  8.  2  Relaciones  n,  p.  72.  3  Cogolludo  1,  p.  261.  4  Oviedo,  lib.  xxxii,  cap.  111. 

5  The  unfortunate  Cozumelenos  had  already  submitted  to  Grijalva,  Olid,  Cortes,  Montejo  the  elder,  and  probably 
to  others  whose  names  are  not  recorded. 

6  Cogolludo  credits  this  conquest  to  Melchor,  the  son  of  Gaspar  de  Pacheco.  We  have  followed  the  earlier  authorities. 


22 


in  reprisal.  A  large  Indian  force  invested  Valladolid,  Spanish  reinforcements 
arrived,  and  a  bloody  conflict  ensued.  The  natives  remained  masters  of  the  field, 
but  could  not  keep  their  army  together,  so  that  the  Spaniards  were  able  to  over¬ 
come  isolated  bands  seriatim.  The  province  of  Chetumal  had  been  aroused  because 
the  Spaniards  had  taken  the  wife  of  the  chief  of  Chamlacao.  This  town  covered 
a  small  island  and  was  fortified  on  all  sides.  The  Spaniards  dared  not  attack;  so 
the  cacique’s  wife  was  restored  to  him  and  peace  was  concluded  by  negotiation. 

The  Conquest  of  Yucatan  was  now  an  accomplished  fact.  The  natives, 
though,  were  to  rise  against  the  white  man  more  than  once,  but  in  general  the  yoke 
was  too  secure  to  be  thrown  off.  At  this  point  the  native  civilization,  already 
undermined  by  centuries  of  civil  war  and  pestilence,  began  to  yield  before  the 
insidious  influence  of  the  Spanish  priests,  who  instilled  in  the  minds  of  the  rising 
generation  the  belief  that  the  Conquest  was  achieved  not  only  by  force  of  arms 
but  by  the  will  of  Heaven.  For  the  greater  convenience  of  the  priests,  the  natives 
were  forced  to  abandon  their  homes1  and  live  beside  the  newly  founded  Christian 
churches,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  quite  a  large  part  of  the  population  from 
famine,  disease,  and  exposure.  The  non-clerical  Spaniards  also  helped  to  depopu¬ 
late  the  land,  first  by  selling  huge  numbers  of  their  captives  as  slaves — perhaps 
as  many  as  half  a  million — and  secondly  by  working  them  to  death.  The  treat¬ 
ment  of  the  Indians  has  remained  brutal  to  this  day  under  a  system  of  peonage 
which  is  rigorously  enforced.  The  condition  of  the  natives  is  well  expressed  by 
the  proverb  that  the  Indian  hears  not  through  his  ears  but  through  his  back.2 

SUBSEQUENT  HISTORY  OF  YUCATAN. 

The  succeeding  history  of  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan  until  the  nineteenth 
century  is  largely  confined  to  piratical  raids  and  to  the  logwood  operations  of  the 
British.  The  pirates  were  of  all  nationalities — English,  French,  and  Dutch  espe¬ 
cially.  In  1571  the  French  raided  Cozumel  and  were  driven  out  by  Gomez 
de  Castillo,  one  of  the  original  conquerors.  In  1597  the  English  landed  at  Cape 
Catoche  and  burned  the  flourishing  town  of  Chancenote.  In  1 598  the  English 
established  themselves  for  a  short  time  on  Cozumel,  and  they  attacked  this  island 
again  in  1600  and  j6oi.  In  1613  pirates  took  temporary  possession  of  Ascencion 
Bay.  In  1642,  Diego  the  Mulatto  sacked  Salamanca  de  Bacalar.  This  town 
suffered  the  same  fate  in  1648  and  again  in  1652  at  the  hands  of  the  pirate  Abraham. 
The  details  of  these  depredations  do  not  concern  us,  but  the  results  are  important, 
for  these  raids  caused  the  Spanish  gradually  to  abandon  their  settlements  on  the 
east  coast  of  Yucatan.  The  aboriginal  population  thus  regained  control  of  the 
region  and  has  not  relinquished  it  to  this  day. 

As  piracy  died  out,  the  former  freebooters  turned  to  the  cutting  of  logwood 
and  mahogany  on  the  east  coast  of  Central  America.  This  trade,  which  was 
vigorously  opposed  by  the  Spaniards,  began  towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth 

1  This  was  accomplished  by  the  simple  expedient  of  burning  the  house,  often  without  allowing  an  opportunity  to 
remove  the  household  effects  or  even  the  sick. 

2  “He  maseule  matan  u  yubic  than  tu  xicin,  uama  tu  pach.”  Registro  Yucateco,  vol.  i,  p.  171. 


23 


century.  The  center  of  operations  was  the  territory  which  is  now  British  Honduras. 
We  shall  not  discuss  the  details  of  these  operations,  concerning  which  there  is  a 
large  body  of  literature. 

Of  the  Indians  inhabiting  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan  there  is  but  scant  infor¬ 
mation  from  the  time  of  the  Conquest  until  the  nineteenth  century.  In  the  year 
1547  the  chief  Ek  Box  of  Ekab  attacked  and  captured  a  Spanish  ship.  This 
action  led  to  a  punitive  expedition  against  the  son  of  Ek  Box,  who  had  succeeded 
his  father.1  In  1592  and  again  in  1597  Juan  de  Contreras  led  expeditions  to  the 
island  of  Cunto  (Contoy?)  to  catch  fugitives  and  idolaters.2 

The  anonymous  chronicler  of  Alonso  Ponce  recorded  in  the  year  1588  the 
following  information  regarding  the  Ascencion  Bay  region:3 

“In  this  bay  are  many  islands,  and  on  some  of  them  are  idolatrous  Indians;  and  they 
say  that  there  are  other  apostates  and  renegades,  and  they  even  say  that  there  are  negroes 
from  a  ship  from  Guinea  which  was  lost  there.  On  the  mainland  near  this  bay  and 
port  there  are  some  edifices  of  hewn  stone  of  ancient  times,  and  the  Indians  say  that  the 
temples  were  for  the  gods  and  idols  of  the  lords  of  Chichenitza,  and  when  they  wished 
to  go  to  Honduras  for  cacao  and  feathers  and  other  things,  they  went  and  came  by  here 
to  offer  sacrifices,  and  here  they  embarked  and  disembarked.  Near  this  same  bay 
there  is  much  land,  mountainous  and  yet  unconquered,  and  the  Indians  say  an  abundant 
stream  flows  through  it  and  that  on  its  banks  in  one  place  and  another  there  are  settled 
many  people  to  be  converted  and  conquered,  and  that  they  have  many  cacao  plantations, 
and  that  they  communicate  with  the  Indians  of  the  islands  mentioned  above.” 

On  the  13th  of  January  of  the  year  1595  the  governor,  Alonso  Ordonez  de 
Nevares,  commissioned  Ambrosio  de  Arguelles  to  pacify  the  region  of  Ascencion 
Bay.  No  expedition  was  organized,  however,  and  in  the  year  1601  a  second 
agreement  was  signed  which  specified  the  division  of  such  spoil  and  Indians  as 
might  be  captured  'Within  a  year.  A  frigate  was  then  purchased  and  set  sail 
from  the  Rio  de  Lagartos  in  Feb.  1602.  After  doubling  Cape  Catoche,  Arguelles 
fell  in  with  an  English  ship  which  lay  aboard  him.  The  Spaniards  had  no  stomach 
for  a  fight  and  surrendered  after  one  of  their  number  had  been  killed.  They  were 
then  set  ashore  and  reached  Merida  on  foot  some  three  months  later. 

Cogolludo,4  who  relates  the  above  episode,  makes  the  observation  that  at  the 
time  of  writing  (1654)  the  Indians  of  Ascencion  Bay  were  as  yet  unsubdued.  This 
raises  the  question  of  whether  the  cities  such  as  Chacmool,  Tulum,  and  Tancah 
were  still  inhabited.  The  writer  believes  that  the  major  cities  had  been  captured 
and  the  populations  scattered  during  the  expedition  of  the  Pachecos  over  a  century 
earlier  and  that  the  population  in  Cogolludo’s  time  was  independent  and  unmo¬ 
lested,  as  are  the  present-day  Indians,  but  that  they  had  withdrawn  from  the 
large  cities  on  the  coast. 

The  succeeding  history  of  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan  is  a  monotonous  list  of 
uprisings,  each  of  which  was  doubtless  suppressed  with  many  unrecorded  acts  of 
cruelty.  One  of  the  most  important  of  these  occurred  in  1636,  when  the  Indians 

1  Nakuk  Pech,  p.  231.  The  name  Ek  Box  means  “the  black  man.”  Its  use  may  have  been  symbolical,  but  it  sug¬ 
gests  that  an  escaped  negro  slave  had  risen  to  power  in  this  part  of  the  country.  The  Relacion  of  Alonso  Ponce  records  the 
wrecking  of  a  slave  ship  cn  the  east  coast. 

2  Cogolludo,  11,  p.  83.  3  Vol.  11,  p.  408.  4  Vol.  11,  p.  123  et  seq. 


24 


of  Bacalar  revolted.  By  1639  the  Spaniards  held  only  the  town  of  Salamanca 
and  order  was  but  partially  restored  in  1644. 

The  great  revolt  of  1847,  the  so-called  War  of  the  Castes,  swept  like  a  flame 
across  the  peninsula  and,  had  the  Indian  generals  been  able  to  hold  their  army 
together  when  the  planting  season  came,  might  have  resulted  in  the  expulsion  of 
the  white  man.  After  five  years  of  terror  and  bloodshed,  peace  was  secured 
when  the  Mexican  Government  recognized  as  semi-independent  the  Indians  of 
the  eastern  and  southern  portions  of  the  peninsula.  In  i860  the  eastern  Indians 
rose  again  because  the  Mexicans  had  failed  to  observe  the  treaty  of  peace.  Chan 
Santa  Cruz  was  captured  by  3,000  whites,  but  was  soon  recaptured. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century,  the  Mexican  Government,  jealous 
of  the  trade  in  chicle  and  precious  woods  built  up  by  the  Indians,  started  a  war 
of  extermination  on  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan.  For  this  purpose  the  jails  of  Mexico 
were  emptied  and  the  men  thus  released,  accompanied  by  low-class  prostitutes, 
were  sent  to  Yucatan,  where  most  of  them  died  of  malaria  or  venereal  disease. 
The  war  thus  started  was  waged  fiercely  but  intermittently  by  both  sides.  During 
its  course  the  Great  Wall  at  Tulum  was  occupied  three  times  by  the  Mexicans, 
but  they  were  unable  to  advance  into  the  interior.  Peace  which  recognized  the 
independence  of  the  Indians  was  made  in  the  year  1913.  Since  that  time  the  east 
coast  has  gradually  become  safe  for  foreigners,  although  the  presence  of  Mexicans 
is  still  resented.  Recently  the  Indians  have  granted  several  chicle  concessions, 
one  of  which  is  in  the  Tulum  district,  with  headquarters  at  the  Tulum  Playa. 

THE  MODERN  INDIANS. 

The  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  of  1922  came  in  contact  with  Indians 
from  Tulum,  Chun  Pom,  and  Acomal.  In  regard  to  the  customs  and  culture  of 
these  Indians  we  have  no  new  information  to  present.  Our.  other  work  left  no  time 
to  spare  for  such  investigations.  The  curious  reader  is  referred  to  the  works  of  Gann, 
Aldherre,  and  Sapper.  When  the  Indians  understood  our  purpose  they  placed  no 
obstacles  in  our  way  and  even  consented  to  work  for  us.  We  found  them  per¬ 
sistent  and  cheerful,  if  not  intelligent,  workers.  Two  characteristics  were  particu¬ 
larly  noticeable.  In  the  first  place,  they  are  malarial  and  anemic  and  succumb 
very  easily  to  attacks  of  fever  induced  by  fatigue.  Two  men  working  for  us  died 
in  this  way.  Secondly,  they  are  very  much  dirtier  in  their  personal  habits  than 
other  Indians  of  the  same  race  living  in  other  regions.  Whatever  their  faults,  one 
can  not  but  admire  their  unconquerable  spirit  and  fierce  love  of  the  land.  They 
are  almost  the  only  members  of  their  race  who  have  any  spark  of  what  might  be 
called  patriotism.1  Their  determination  to  maintain  their  independence  remains 
undiminished  after  centuries  of  oppression  and  repeated  attempts  at  extermination. 

1  Certain  villages  in  the  highlands  of  Guatemala,  such  as  Naguala,  Santo  Tomas  Chichicastenango,  etc.,  not  only 
have  preserved  the  independent  spirit  of  these  east-coast  natives,  but  have  maintained  a  much  higher  plane  of  culture. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  ARCHITECTURE  OF  EASTERN  YUCATAN. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  discussion  of  the  individual  remains  of  buildings  at 
Tulum  and  of  other  ruins  on  the  east  coast,  it  will  be  well  to  survey  the  general 
features  of  the  architecture  of  this  region  and  to  examine  its  correspondence  with 
Maya  architecture  elsewhere.  At  the  outset  of  the  discussion  we  should  state 
that  Tulum  apparently  is  the  center  of  a  somewhat  specialized  form  of  Maya 
architecture  which  extended  from  Espiritu  Santo  Bay  to  Cape  Catoche  and  an 
unknown  distance  into  the  interior. 

y  Types  of  buildings. — Maya  buildings  in  general  are  usually  classified  according 
to  their  supposed  functions  as  “palaces”  or  temples.”  Palaces  are  long  multi- 
chambered  edifices,  such  as  the  House  of  the  Governor  at  Uxmal;  temples  are 
smaller  buildings,  often  perched  on  the  tops  of  truncated  pyramids,  such  as  the 
Castillo  at  Chichen  Itza.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  know  very  little  about  the  uses 
to  which  the  Maya  put  their  buildings  except  from  archaeological  observation,  but 
the  conventional  nomenclature  is  probably  correct,  and  it  is  followed  in  this 
report.  Another  type  of  edifice  generally  recognized  is  the  “platform  mound.” 
This  is  a  relatively  low  masonry  substructure  with  no  trace  of  a  building  on  top, 
but  which  presumably  once  carried  a  house  of  perishable  materials  which  has 
disappeared  in  the  course  of  time.  These  three  types  are  found  on  the  east  coast, 
as  well  as  a  special  form  of  building  which  we  shall  call  a  “shrine.” 

The  temples  on  the  east  coast  are  not  set  on  high  substructures  as  elsewhere 
in  the  Maya  area.  At  Tulum  their  substructures  are  particularly  low  and  are  not 
terraced;  but  at  Tancah  and  Xelha  they  are  usually  found  on  low-terraced  pyramids 
with  a  rectangular  cornice  on  each  terrace.  The  temples  themselves  are  small 
buildings  of  one  or  two  rooms,  with  an  altar  against  the  back  wall. 

The  form  of  building  on  the  east  coast  which  we  call  a  palace  is  not  the  same 
as  the  palace  of  central  Yucatan,  where  this  word  is  applied  to  long,  multichambered 
buildings  with  ground  plans  resembling  nothing  so  much  as  the  cells  of  a  beehive. 
The  east-coast  palace  consists  fundamentally  of  two  long  rooms.  The  front  room 
has  a  wide  doorway  with  columns  and  may  have  a  second  row  of  columns  down  the 
main  axis.  The  back  room  has  a  small  shrine  or  sanctuary  set  against  the  back  wall. 
The  sanctuary  is  a  small  building  in  itself,  with  a  roof  of  its  own  and  complete  in 
all  details  such  as  the  moldings,  door-panels,  etc.  This  is  a  type  of  building  which 
closely  resembles  the  temples  at  Palenque.  However,  in  most  cases  the  fundamental 
plan  has  been  changed  by  the  addition  of  more  rooms  at  one  end  of  the  structure, 
and  the  long  chambers  of  the  original  edifice  are  often  divided  into  two  parts. 

From  the  fact  that  the  east-coast  palace  resembles  the  Palenque  temple,  it 
may  be  argued  that  it  is  not  a  palace  but  a  temple.  The  size  and  position  of  these 
buildings,  however,  seem  to  indicate  residential  use.  The  addition  of  extra  rooms 

25 


26 


and  the  fact  that  no  other  structures  exist  suitable  for  residence  also  favor  this 
theory.  The  presence  of  the  sanctuary  shows  that  even  in  his  home  the  Maya 
noble  was  unable  to  escape  the  all-pervading  influence  of  religion,  which  dominated 
the  arts  and  crafts  and  daily  life  to  a  degree  surpassed  among  no  other  people. 

Platform  mounds  occur  frequently  on  the  east  coast.  They  are  all  rectangular 
in  outline  and  have  vertical  sides,  but  several  specialized  types  may  be  recognized. 
In  the  first  place,  we  find  at  many  sites  relatively  high  platform  mounds  placed 
directly  in  front  of  the  chief  temple.  These  mounds  are  always  ascended  by  two 
stairways  placed  on  the  sides  nearest  and  farthest  from  the  temple.  From  their 
position  and  relatively  great  height  we  judge  that  they  were  used  primarily  for 
religious  spectacles  and  did  not  have  much,  if  anything,  by  way  of  construction  on 
the  summit.  A  second  group  is  ascended  by  one  stairway  (or  rarely  two  placed  on 
the  same  side  of  the  mound)  and  have  either  (i)  nothing  on  top,  (2)  a  small  shrine 
set  towards  the  rear,  or  (3)  one  or  two  small  rectangular  masses  of  stones  about 
a  foot  high.  In  the  case  of  the  small  stone-piles  we  sometimes  find  a  wall  3  to 
5  feet  high  running  along  one  edge  only.  These  mounds  often  contain  vaulted 
tombs.  The  use  of  this  type  is  perplexing,  but  the  probability  is  that  they  sup¬ 
ported  wooden  buildings,  in  which  case  the  shrine  must  have  been  a  sanctuary  like 
those  in  the  palaces,  and  the  stones  on  top  may  have  been  altars  or  benches  like 
those  in  the  Castillo  at  Tulum.  A  third  type  of  mound  is  very  much  smaller  and 
merges  with  what  we  call  “rectangular  altars.” 

The  shrine  is  a  miniature  square  temple  usually  4  or  5  feet  in  each  dimension, 
with  one,  three,  or  four  doors.  They  are  found  elsewhere  in  the  Maya  area, 
for  instance  at  Copan,  but  are  especially  common  on  the  east  coast.  At  Tulum 
they  are  built  on  the  ground,  but  at  Tancah  and  Xelha  they  are  placed  on  the  tops 
of  the  tallest  truncated  pyramids,  in  positions  which  indicate  an  important  place 
in  the  religious  organization  of  the  city.  On  Cozumel  and  at  Xelha  they  were 
built  against  the  base  of  large  pyramids  which  have  crumbled  and  lost  their  shape. 
In  construction  they  duplicate  the  larger  buildings.  They  have  vaulted  ceilings,  an 
exterior  molding,  and  even  the  typical  sunken  panel  over  the  door. 

It  is  difficult  to  draw  a  dividing-line  between  a  small  temple  and  a  large  shrine. 
For  convenience  in  classification  we  have  applied  the  name  shrine  to  those  edifices 
too  small  to  admit  the  performance  of  a  religious  ceremony  inside  by  even  one  per¬ 
son,  while  we  have  called  temples  the  buildings  large  enough  to  accommodate  not 
only  an  altar  but  its  attendant.  Shrines  were  probably  used  for  burning  incense — a 
practice  to  which  the  Maya  in  general  were  much  given  and  which  appears  to  have 
been  particularly  prevalent  on  the  east  coast. 

Altars  are  found  in  many  of  the  buildings  and  also  by  themselves  in  the  open. 
The  latter  resemble  small  platform  mounds,  perhaps  4  feet  square  and  a  foot  or  two 
high,  and  they  sometimes  have  a  tiny  stairway  built  against  one  side.  It  is  quite 
possible  that  they  were  the  foundations  of  shrines  built  of  wood,  but  in  either  case 
they  were  doubtless  used  for  burning  offerings  of  copal  and  rubber. 

Assemblage. — All  Maya  cities  show  an  orderly  grouping  of  buildings,  which 
may  roughly  conform  to  the  cardinal  points,  though  by  no  means  forming  a  cal¬ 
culated  astronomical  orientation.  In  the  southern  cities  of  the  earlier  epochs  this 


27 


grouping  consists  of  a  central  acropolis  or  series  of  acropoles  surrounded  by  large 
plazas.  In  Yucatan,  in  later  times,  the  acropolis  is  absent  and  the  large  cities  consist 
of  series  of  related  structures  such  as  the  Monjas  complex  at  Uxmal  or  the  Group  of 
the  Columns  at  Chichen  Itza.  The  small  sites  contain  but  one  such  complex,  while 
the  larger  cities  have  several. 

On  the  east  coast  this  generalization  holds  true.  Most  of  the  sites,  however, 
consist  of  but  one  or  two  groups  of  related  structures  gathered  around  a  court. 
El  Meco,  the  Cozumel  ruins,  Xelha,  Tancah,  and  Chacmool  may  be  thus  described. 
Tulum  is  a  series  of  complexes,  in  which  several  courts  may  be  distinguished.  A 
peculiar  feature  of  this  town  is  the  presence  of  well-developed  streets,  one  of  which 
runs  absolutely  straight  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  through  the  center  of  the  city,  with 
edifices  on  either  side.  The  orderly  arrangement  of  Tulum  is  further  emphasized  by 
the  surrounding  stone  wall. 

Materials. — Yucatecan  buildings  are  fabricated  of  the  limestone  which  forms 
the  backbone  of  the  peninsula.  This  stone  was  burned  to  obtain  lime,  crushed  to 
form  rubble,  and  cut  to  make  building-blocks;  of  it,  the  walls,  floors,  vaults,  and 
all  other  parts  of  a  house  could  be  made.  Nevertheless,  this  valuable  material  was 
not  used  to  the  exclusion  of  wood,  and  even  in  the  most  sumptuous  temples  and 
palaces  we  constantly  find  lintels  and  vault-beams  of  wood.  On  the  east  coast 
the  roofs  and  ceilings  were  often  formed  of  wood  covered  with  rubble.  The  beams 
are  sometimes  made  of  the  traditional  sapote  wood  and  sometimes  of  a  wood  desig¬ 
nated  by  our  workmen  as  madre  de  cacao  and  cirocote. 

Substructures. — It  may  be  laid  down  as  a  practically  universal  rule  that  no 
Maya  building  rests  directly  on  the  ground;  all  stand  upon  more  or  less  elevated  sub¬ 
structures,  which  vary  with  time,  locality,  and  the  nature  of  the  building  they  sup¬ 
port.  In  the  Peten  area  the  temples  stand  on  bases  which  are  not  only  high  but  very 
steep.  Later  in  Yucatan  the  temple  substructures  are  less  elevated  and  not  so 
steep  as  those  of  the  Peten  area.  The  palaces,  because  of  their  bulk,  could  not  be 
raised  off  the  ground  as  much  as  the  temples. 

On  the  east  coast  very  high  terraced  pyramids  are  markedly  absent.  The 
highest  measured  substructure  is  at  El  Meco  and  is  only  25  feet  high — a  very  insig¬ 
nificant  mass  compared  to  the  great  pyramids  at  Tikal,  Nakum,  and  elsewhere. 
More  commonly  the  temple-bases  are  low  and  have  no  molding.  Circular  sub¬ 
structures  were  encountered  at  Tulum,  Tancah,  Mugeres,  and  Xelha.  Circular 
buildings  are  found  at  Chichen  Itza  and  Mayapan  and  are  said  to  have  been  con¬ 
nected  with  the  worship  of  Kukulkan,  the  god  of  the  Air.  Circular  substructures 
may  have  supported  temples  similarly  dedicated. 

The  palace  substructures  are  invariably  low — about  3  feet  high— and  have  a 
heavy  rectangular  molding  at  the  upper  edge.  The  platform  mounds  are  of  a 
similar  height,  but  usually  without  a  molding.  Shrines  are  built  on  a  very  low 
platform,  with  a  few  exceptions  at  Tancah  and  Xelha,  where  they  are  found  on 
large,  terraced  pyramids. 

An  almost  constant  feature  on  the  east  coast  is  that  buildings  stand  on  a  terrace 
about  a  foot  high  which  runs  around  the  outer  wall  in  the  form  of  a  step  or  bench. 


28 


In  some  cases  it  is  the  only  substructure  of  the  edifice,  but  more  often  this  low  plat¬ 
form  rests  on  the  higher  types  of  substructure  just  described.  As  an  architectural 
feature  this  step  or  bench  is  extremely  useful,  serving  to  give  added  height  and  to 
break  the  harshness  of  juncture  between  the  building  proper  and  its  base. 

Finally,  we  must  speak  of  rooms  which  have  been  filled  with  masonry  to 
support  later  construction  above  them.  This  practice  is  not  unusual  in  long- 
occupied  Maya  cities.  We  recall  examples  at  Chichen  Itza  (Monjas  and  Akat’Cib), 
Sayil,  and  Santa  Rosa  Xlabpak.  It  resulted  from  the  Maya  distrust  of  directly 
superimposed  rooms,  coupled  with  a  desire  for  high  buildings.  To  secure  the  latter 
end  without  superposing  rooms,  the  center  of  an  old  building  was  sometimes 
filled  with  rubble,  on  which  base  a  second  story  or  range  was  then  erected.  Ex¬ 
amples  of  this  construction  are  found  at  Tulum  and  El  Meco. 


Fig.  4. — Construction  of  balustrade, 
Castillo,  Tulum. 


•••••••••• 


1  1 

Fig.  5. — Ground-plans:  a,  b,  e,  f,  Tulum;  c,  Playa 
Carmen;  d,  Tulum  Playa;  g,  Chichen  Itza;  h, 
Chacmool;  1,  Cancuen;  j,  Ake. 


Stairways. — As  every  Maya  building  was  raised  on  a  substructure,  stairways 
were  a  necessary  adjunct,  the  imposing  effect  of  which  was  not  lost  on  the  native 
architect.  Elsewhere  in  the  Maya  area  there  are  examples  of  stairs  over  100 
feet  high  and  30  feet  broad,  with  elaborately  decorated  balustrades.  The  largest 
examples  within  the  area  under  discussion  are  found  at  Tulum  and  El  Meco  and 
are  scarcely  a  quarter  that  height.  The  angle  of  ascent  is  normally  45  or  50  degrees, 
so  that  the  rises  and  treads  are  of  equal  size.  On  the  Great  Wall  at  Tulum  are 
stairways  that  branch  in  two  directions  (fig.  39).  No  interior  stairs  have  yet 
been  found  on  the  east  coast. 

Stairways  are  commonly  flanked  by  broad  balustrades,  which  elsewhere  are 
sometimes  decorated,  but  on  the  east  coast  they  are  plain  (fig.  4).  To  this  statement 
an  exception  must  be  noted  at  El  Meco,  where  Holmes  saw  an  example  of  the  so- 
called  serpent  balustrade — a  feature  found  elsewhere  only  at  Chichen  Itza.  This 
conception  treats  the  balustrade  itself  as  the  body  of  a  serpent,  large  realistic  heads 


29 


of  which  are  placed  at  the  base  on  either  side  of  the  stairs.  It  is  one  of  the  many 
architectural  forms  introduced  into  Yucatan  by  Nahua  invaders  in  the  thirteenth 
century. 

Growid-Plans . — Temple  ground-plans  (fig.  5,  a  and  b)  are  exceedingly  simple, 
for  practically  all  consist  of  one  rectangular  chamber.  More  rarely  two  rectangular 
rooms  occur.  Shrines  also  have  one  small  rectangular  room  entered  by  one,  three, 
or  four  doors.  Palace  ground-plans,  however,  are  complex,  and  these  we  must 
examine  in  detail. 

The  theoretical  evolution  of  the  palace  type  is  seen  in  figure  5.  The  simplest 
form  (c,  d)  consists  of  a  single  room  and  a  sanctuary.  The  fully  developed  palace 

(e)  has  an  entrance  supported  by  columns,  two  long,  narrow  rooms,  and  a  sanctuary 
in  the  back  room.  The  front  room  may  have  a  series  of  columns  down  the  center 

(f) .  From  this  form  of  structure  are  derived  such  edifices  as  make  up  the  Group  of 
the  Columns  at  Chichen  Itza  and  the  great  mound  at  Ake.  Figure  5,  g,  is  a  building 
from  the  Group  of  the  Columns  at  Chichen  Itza,  in  which  the  front  room  is  scarcely 
more  than  a  portico,  while  columns  are  used  in  the  back  rooms.  In  h  the  side  walls 
have  almost  disappeared,  and  in  1  and  J.  they  are  totally  absent. 

To  develop  this  form  of  structure  the  Maya  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  the 
customary  vaulted  ceiling,  for  the  weight  was  too  great  to  be  carried  entirely  by 
columns.  Perhaps  we  should  say  that  having  substituted  flat  ceilings  supported  by 
beams  and  having  freed  themselves  from  the  restriction  imposed  by  the  vault,  this 
form  of  structure  was  a  logical  development.  On  the  east  coast  these  buildings  with 
columns  have  beam-and-rubble  ceilings,  but  the  lack  of  debris  at  interior  cities, 
such  as  Chichen  Itza  and  Ake,  suggests  that  thatch  was  used  for  roofing. 

Second  Stories. — The  Maya  rarely  placed  one  room  directly  over  another,  for 
they  apparently  lacked  confidence  in  the  overstepping  vault  to  carry  the  resulting 
load.  Examples  of  this  construction  exist,  however,  of  which  the  best  known  are 
the  tower  at  Palenque  and  the  Temple  of  the  Five  Stories  at  Tikal.  On  the  east 
coast  we  encountered  such  edifices  at  Cacakal  (fig.  171),  Tancah  (fig.  125),  and 
Tulum  (plate  20,  b).  In  all  of  these  there  are  directly  superposed  rooms.  In  each 
case  the  upper  story  is  probably  a  later  construction  than  the  lower. 

Walls. — It  must  be  remembered  that  true  masonry  scarcely  exists  in  Yucatan. 
The  usual  construction  is  monolithic  in  character:  a  rubble  core  consisting  of 
irregular  stones  grouted  with  mortar,  on  the  exterior  of  which  is  a  veneer  of  cut 
stone.  The  stone  blocks  are  cut  rectangular  (in  the  better  class  of  construction) 
on  the  outer  face  and  are  set  in  the  rubble  by  a  projecting  tenon.  If  the  stone  is 
regarded  only  as  a  veneer  and  is  without  structural  value,  it  follows  that  there  is 
no  need  for  breaking  joints,  indeed  no  need  for  courses  or  any  of  the  devices  of 
masonry. 

On  the  east  coast  the  walls  are  from  1  to  4  feet  thick,  2  feet  being  perhaps  an 
average  figure.  This  is  rather  thin  as  Maya  walls  go  and  is  not  thick  enough  to 
allow  the  entire  weight  of  the  building  to  be  supported  by  the  rubble  core.  Con¬ 
sequently,  the  stonework  assumes  the  character  of  true  masonry  in  many  instances, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  very  bad  masonry,  for  the  stones  are  not  neatly  trimmed 


30 


nor  are  joints  broken.  In  the  days  when  these  cities  flourished,  this  was  not 
apparent  to  the  eye,  for  all  walls  were  covered  with  a  smooth  coat  of  stucco; 
but  to-day  it  is  sadly  obvious,  for  the  stucco  has  peeled  off  for  the  most  part, 
revealing  the  crudeness  of  the  stonework,  and  the  walls  themselves  are  often  badly 
cracked. 

A  feature  particularly  developed  at  Tulum  is  the  outward  slope  of  the  exterior 
walls  from  bottom  to  top  (plate  18).  Its  occurrence  is  too  frequent  and  too  pro¬ 
nounced  to  be  merely  accidental.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  this  batter  is  an  element  of 
strength,  for  the  outward  slope  of  the  exterior  wall  tends  to  balance  the  interior 
projection  which  forms  one  side  of  the  vault,  thus  introducing  the  principle  of 
the  cantilever.  This  principle  is  also  found  in  the  case  of  an  interior  wall  supporting 
half  vaults  of  the  rooms  on  either  side  (<?.  g.,  the  interior  wall  of  the  third  range  of  the 
Castillo  at  Tulum).  Its  true  nature,  however,  can  scarcely  have  been  apprehended 
by  the  Maya  architect. 


Fig.  6. — Types  of  doorways,  east  coast  of  Yucatan. 


Floors. — Floors  were  made  of  polished  cement.  In  one  case  at  Tulum  (struc¬ 
ture  1 6)  the  floor  was  painted  red.  This  may  have  been  a  universal  custom,  but 
to-day  the  floors  are  usually  too  weathered  to  tell. 

Doors  and  Windows. — The  doorways  on  the  east  coast  are  distinguished  by 
the  fact  that  the  lintel  is  set  back  3  or  4  inches  from  the  face  of  the  exterior  wall, 
thus  forming  a  sunken  panel,  usually  about  a  foot  wide,  which  runs  across  the 
top  of  the  door  and  projects  for  a  foot  or  more  on  either  side.  This  sunken  panel 
may  rest  against  the  lower  molding  or  may  be  dropped  a  few  inches  below  it.  In 
a  few  instances  the  lintel  and  the  door-jambs  are  set  back  from  the  outer  wall,  so 
that  a  recessed  panel  runs  around  three  sides  of  the  door  (fig.  6,  a).  With  the  excep- 


31 


tion  of  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers  at  Chichen  Itza  the  recessed  panel  over  the  door  is 
not  found  in  Maya  architecture  outside  of  the  east  coast.  It  is  found,  however, 
at  the  ruins  of  Mitla  in  the  Mexican  State  of  Oaxaca.  The  lintel  is  either  of  stone 
or  wood  and  sometimes  is  formed  of  a  combination  of  stone  and  wooden  beams. 
The  doors  themselves  are  rectangular  openings  and  may  be  either  single  or  multiple. 
The  single  doorway  is  found  in  the  smaller  buildings,  usually  those  classified  as 
temples.  A  typical  example  is  seen  on  figure  6,  b.  Multiple  doorways  are  divided 
either  by  the  rectangular  masonry  piers  or  more  often 
by  round  columns.  When  columns  are  employed 
they  usually  support  wooden  lintels  and  they  are 
associated  with  the  flat  ceiling  and  the  palace  type 
of  edifice.  The  number  of  columns  is  either  two  or  a 
multiple  of  two.  The  largest  number  of  columns 
observed  in  a  single  entrance  is  eight  (Chacmool). 

A  peculiar  feature  of  the  east  coast  doorways  is 
that  when  the  walls  have  an  outward  batter  the  door 
may  slope  inward  towards  the  top  at  a  correspond- 


T 


i 


r~ 

/  W 

-  1 

i 

L 


T 


I 


Fig.  7. — Latticed  window, 
structure  ii,  Tulum. 


ing  angle.  This  characteristic  is  admirably  brought  out  by  the  Temple  of  the 
Diving  God  at  Tulum  (fig.  56). 


Fig.  8. — Altar  of  structure  1,  Xelha. 


At  the  interior  corner  of  the  doorways  there  sometimes  are  stone  rings  or 
pegs.  These  are  found  elsewhere  in  the  Maya  area  and  are  believed  to  have  sup¬ 
ported  curtains,  for  no  signs  of  an  actual  door  have  yet  been  found. 


32 


There  are  windows  in  almost  every  building.  They  are  small  rectangular 
openings,  usually  about  6  inches  square.  The  windows  on  the  east  wall  of  the 
upper  range  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum  are  splayed  on  the  under  side,  so  that  the 
trade  wind  forces  a  constant  current  of  air  through  the  building.  The  only  attempt 
at  embellishment  of  windows  we  observed  was  in  structure  21  at  Tulum  (fig.  7), 
where  openings  about  a  foot  square  had  small  cross-bars  inserted. 

Altars  and  Benches. — Altars  are  found  in  most  of  the  east-coast  buildings  of 
the  classes  designated  as  temples  and  shrines.  They  are  usually  1  foot  high  and 
from  2  to  4  feet  in  length  and  breadth.  In  the  temples  they  are  placed  against 
the  back  wall  and  in  the  shrines  either  in  the  center  of  the  floor  or  against  the  back 
wall.  An  unusually  elaborate  altar  with  terraced  wings  is  shown  in  figure  8. 
There  is  a  large  hole  in  the  upper  surface  which  goes  down  to  the  level  of  the  floor. 


-  In  it  were  found  corn-cobs  and  other  vegetable  remains;  so  it  may  have  been  a 
receptacle  for  offerings  or  it  may  have  held  the  base  of  an  idol.  In  some  instances 
altars  were  replaced  by  low  benches  running  across  the  ends  or  the  back  of  the 
room.  In  room  b  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum  there  are  benches  on  three  sides. 

It  has  been  a  matter  of  current  belief  that  the  present-day  Indians  employed 
the  altars  of  ancient  edifices  for  religious  practices  handed  down  from  their  ancestors. 
This  is  in  a  measure  true,  for  we  observed  some  20  or  30  Chum  Pom  Indians  pray¬ 
ing  and  burning  candles  before  the  miniature  cross  seen  in  figure  10.  This  had 
been  placed  on  the  bench  in  room  b  of  the  Castillo  between  1918  and  1922. 

^Columns. — Maya  architects  did  not  employ  the  column  until  long  after  their 
race  had  settled  in  Yucatan.  In  the  great  cities  of  the  south,  columns  are  totally 
absent.  In  the  few  cities  where  multiple  doorways  occur,  such  as  Yaxchilan  and 
Palenque,  these  doors  are  separated  by  masonry  piers.  In  fact,  columns  are  a 


33 


common  feature  only  at  Chichen  Itza  (where  they  are  associated  with  edifices 
assigned  to  the  Nahua  period)  and  in  the  ruins  on  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan.  At 
some  other  Yucatec  cities  round  columns  were  sparingly  employed,  and  probably 
represent  construction  of  the  final  phase  corresponding  to  the  Nahua  period  at 
Chichen  ltza.  The  list  of  such  sites  runs:  Ake,  Chacmultun,  Chichen  Itza,  Dseh- 
kabtun,  Kabah,  Labna,  Mayapan,  Sayil,  Xcalumkin,  and  Xcanalchen — only  ten 
ruins  out  of  the  many  that  are  known.  In  contrast  with  the  rest  of  Yucatan, 
columns  are  found  at  practically  every  site  on  the  east  coast. 

The  normal  east-coast  exterior  column  is  round  with  a  square  capital.  In  some 
cases  it  is  monolithic,  but  more  commonly  it  is  made  up  of  five  or  six  drums.  The 
surface  was  covered  with  plaster,  so  that  the  two  types  were  indistinguishable. 
The  capitals  are  usually  square,  but  may  be  round.  An  unusual  case  in  which  the 
capital  is  decorated  is  seen  in  figure  9. 


a ,  head  and  neck  of 
serpent. 

by  body  of  serpent. 

c,  false  capital,  of 

plaster. 

d,  lintel. 

e,  sunken  panel. 

f, j,  tail  of  serpent. 

g,  vertical  niche  over 

doorway. 

h,  A,  front  line  of 

fagade. 

i,  stone  ring. 


Fig.  10. — Modern  altar  furnishings,  Castillo, 

Tulum. 


Fig.  11. — Serpent-column,  Castillo, 
Tulum. 


A  second  type  of  exterior  column  is  that  known  as  the  serpent-column.  This 
has  elsewhere  been  reported  only  at  Chichen  Itza,  but  is  found  at  Tulum  and  El 
^  Meco  on  the  east  coast.  The  form  has  been  very  definitely  associated  with  the 
period  of  Nahua  influence.  The  column  itself  in  this  conception  is  regarded  as 
the  body  of  a  rattlesnake.  At  the  base  there  is  a  large  head  which  projects  forward. 
At  the  top  is  a  cornice  above  which  rises  the  tail  with  conventionalized  markings 
which  represent  the  rattles.  The  example  from  Tulum  figured  here  is  very  much 
simpler  than  that  at  Chichen  Itza  and  differs  in  the  method  of  attaching  the  tail. 

Atlantean  columns,  in  which  a  figure  carved  in  stone  is  used  as  a  support,  are 
found  at  Chichen  Itza  in  some  numbers.  On  the  east  coast  the  only  thing  approach- 


34 


ing  this  form  is  a  column,  at  San  Miguel  on  Cozumel  Island  (fig.  165),  on  which  is 
carved  a  kneeling  figure  which  may  be  considered  as  supporting  the  lintel.  We 
have  previously  stated  that  the  columns  were  covered  with  stucco,  and  it  is  possible 
that  the  San  Miguel  type  may  have  been  quite  commonly  rendered  in  stucco  which 
has  now  peeled  off. 

Interior  columns  are  of  the  round  variety  and  usually  have  square  capitals. 
They  will  be  fully  discussed  in  connection  with  the  flat-ceiling  construction  with 
which  they  are  associated. 

Ceilings. — The  most  distinctive  characteristic  of  the  architecture  of  the  east 
coast  in  contrast  with  the  rest  of  Yucatan  was  the  use  of  flat  ceilings  supported  by 
beams  in  place  of  the  usual  vault.  The  flat  ceilings  were  formed  of  large  wooden 
beams  on  which,  at  right  angles,  poles  2  or  3  inches  in  diameter  were  spread;  the 


Fig.  1 2. — Cross-section  of  structure  21,  Tulum  (restored). 


a,  niche  over  door. 

b ,  wooden  lintel. 
cy  door-column. 

dy  interior  column. 
<?,  masonry  pier. 


roof-beam,  1 5  inches  diameter. 

g,  roof-beams,  6  inches  diameter. 

h,  roof-beams,  2  inches  diameter. 

i,  rubble  roof-cap. 

j,  window  or  ventilator. 


ky  door  to  inner  room. 
/,  sanctuary. 

m,  blue  paint. 

n,  red  paint. 


poles  in  turn  were  covered  with  a  rubble  cap  a  foot  or  more  in  thickness.  These 
features  are  all  present  in  the  accompanying  cut  (fig  12).  The  building  illustrated  has 
two  rooms  of  different  widths.  The  narrower  chamber  at  the  left  has  two  sets  of 
beams  running  at  right  angles.  The  larger  room  has  a  row  of  columns  down  the 
center.  On  top  of  the  square  capitals  is  a  short  masonry  pier  on  which  rests  a 
large  girder,  which  in  turn  supports  two  smaller  sets  of  beams  and  the  rubble  cap. 

The  flat  ceiling  had  both  advantages  and  disadvantages.  It  made  possible 
the  construction  of  rooms  of  much  greater  width  than  was  possible  with  a  vault, 
and  it  also  gave  rise  to  much  more  interior  lighting  through  the  accompanying 
introduction  of  columns.  The  larger  room  shown  in  figure  12  is  17.5  feet  wide  and 
59  feet  long.  The  great  fault  of  the  flat  ceiling  was  that  once  the  heavy  cap  was 
in  place  it  became  impossible  to  replace  the  wooden  beams.  Perhaps  the  builders 
thought  that  even  if  the  beams  gave  way  the  concrete  would  have  sufficient  strength 


35 


1  The  data  for  the  reconstruction  in  fig.  12  was  obtained  (1)  from  beam-holes  in  the  walls  and  (2)  from  molds  of 
roof-beams  still  preserved  in  fragments  of  the  rubble  cap. 


to  sustain  itself.  At  any  rate,  there  is  evidence  that  the  rotting  of  wooden  beams 
caused  apprehension  in  the  days  when  the  city  was  still  occupied  and  led  to  various 
expedients  to  strengthen  sagging  roofs,  such  as  the  introduction  of  extra  columns 
and  piers  or  the  splitting  of  large  rooms  into  smaller  chambers.  To-day  no  flat 
ceilings  are  still  in  place  at  Tulum.1  Figure  13  shows  two  examples  which  suggest 
the  original  form.  In  a  the  flat  roof  of  the  back  room  of  a  palace  has  fallen  on  to 


Fig.  13. — Fallen  flat  roofs,  Tulum:  a,  structure  34;  b,  structure  54. 

the  top  of  and  crushed  in  the  roof  of  the  sanctuary.  The  thickness  of  the  roof  is 
indicated  by  the  rubble  on  top  of  the  walls.  Figure  13,  b,  shows  what  remains 
of  the  only  flat  ceiling  still  standing  when  Stephens  visited  Tulum  in  1842.  His 
description  of  this  edifice  is  quoted  on  page  1 1 5 . 

The  flat-ceiling  construction  is  found  in  almost  all  of  the  larger  buildings  on 
the  east  coast,  but  rarely  in  smaller  structures  of  the  temple  or  shrine  type.  Else- 


36 


where  in  Yucatan,  at  Chichen  Itza,  Ake,  and  Mayapan,  the  use  of  flat  ceilings  is 
suggested  by  the  presence  of  parallel  rows  of  columns,  but  this  remains  to  be  proved 
through  a  study  of  debris.  In  the  Mexican  highlands  some  such  construction  was 
in  regular  use.  Mr.  W.  H.  Holmes’s  careful  studies  at  Mitla  led  him  to  draw 
reconstructions  which  differ  from  our  figure  12  only  through  the  absence  of  the 
small  masonry  pier  on  top  of  the  supporting  column.1  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose, 
then,  that  the  flat  ceiling  was  one  of  the  many  architectural  features  introduced 
into  Yucatan  by  Mexican  invaders  in  the  thirteenth  century. 

The  traditional  Maya  ceiling  is  the  overstepping  vault.  Two  opposite  walls 
of  a  room  were  made  gradually  to  approach  each  other,  each  course  of  masonry 
projecting  beyond  the  one  below  it,  until  they  were  only  a  few  feet  apart.  Over 
the  opening  thus  left  flat  capstones  were  placed.  This  device  has  no  relation  to  the 
true  arch,  for  each  half  has  inherent  stability  by  itself,  whereas  the  true  arch  col¬ 
lapses  if  the  keystone  (or  any  other  segment)  is  removed.  Not  only  the  sides  but 
also  the  ends  of  a  room  may  be  made  to  approach  each  other,  thus  reducing  the 
space  to  be  filled  by  the  capstones. 


Fig.  14. — Types  of  vaulting,  east  coast  of  Yucatan:  a,  curved  sides;  b,  bottle- 

shaped;  c,  overstepping. 


On  the  east  coast  the  vaults  are  for  the  most  part  of  characteristically  crude 
masonry.  A  few  exceptions  are  to  be  noted  (e.  g.,  Xelha,  temple  1)  in  which  the 
courses  are  beautifully  regular  and  the  walls  approach  each  other  in  a  series  of 
evenly  cut  terraces.  The  usual  shape  shows  slightly  arched  sides.  A  form  peculiar 
to  the  east  coast  (fig.  14,  b)  has  a  double  curve,  which,  in  cross-section,  suggests  the 
outline  of  a  bottle.  The  capstones  are  not  so  nicely  fitted  as  elsewhere,  nor  are 
they  painted,  as  was  sometimes  done  in  central  Yucatan.  Wooden  beams  at  half 
the  height  of  the  vault  are  common  here  as  elsewhere  in  the  Maya  area.  It  is 
supposed  that  they  were  inserted  to  facilitate  the  erection  of  the  vault  as  well  as 
to  strengthen  it  after  completion.  The  small  offset  at  the  spring  of  the  vault 
which  is  customarily  found  in  Maya  buildings  is  rarely  seen  on  the  east  coast. 
Half-vaults  were  employed  in  several  instances.  They  were  built  against  the 
walls  of  older  buildings  to  form  passageways  or  corridors.  They  are  also  found 
in  tombs.  The  example  here  illustrated  has  the  double  curve  characteristic  of 
bottle-neck  vaults  (fig.  15). 


1  See  Holmes,  1895-1897,  figs.  82  and  92. 


37 


The  superiority  of  the  vaulted  construction  in  comparison  with  the  beam-and- 
rubble  type  is  unmistakable.  Indeed,  the  majority  of  buildings  containing  vaults 
are  still  standing,  while  all  the  flat  ceilings  have  collapsed.  The  vault,  of  course, 
had  been  used  by  the  Maya  for  many  centuries  before  the  introduction  of  the 
flat  ceiling,  and  we  shall  later  produce  evidence  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  east 
coast  resumed  the  use  of  the  vault  in  the  edifices  built  just  before  the  arrival  of 
the  Spaniards. 

Moldings. — Both  substructures  and  buildings  are  decorated  with  moldings. 
In  substructures  they  are  merely  a  rectangular  cornice,  but  on  buildings  there  is 
much  variation,  which  we  shall  examine 
in  detail. 

The  facade  of  the  typical  Maya 
building  of  Yucatan  is  divided  into  two 
roughly  equal  parts  by  a  medial  molding. 

A  second  molding  of  the  same  type  runs 
across  the  top  of  the  facade,  forming  a 
cornice  (fig.  16,  a).  The  space  between 
the  two  moldings  is  the  principal  field 
for  decoration,  which  takes  the  form  of 
geometric  panels  in  relief,  perhaps  inter¬ 
spaced  with  small  life  forms.  On  the 
east  coast  the  typical  Yucatec  facade 
division  is  very  rare,  for  the  lowest  mold¬ 
ing  is  placed  at  about  two-thirds  the 
height  of  the  building,  and  the  upper 
molding,  if  present,  is  found  about  a 
foot  below  the  roof-line.  This  type  of 
spacing  conforms  with  that  of  some 
of  the  edifices  at  Chichen  Itza  which  are 
assigned  to  the  period  of  Mexican  occu¬ 
pation  or  thirteenth  and  fourteenth 
centuries.  This  fact  forms  an  important 
clue  for  dating  east-coast  remains. 

The  moldings  themselves  are  com¬ 
posed  of  (i)  a  rectangular  band  flanked  by  triangular  bands,  (2)  a  rectangular 
band  with  a  triangular  band  below  it,  and  (3)  a  rectangular  band  by  itself.  These 
types  may  be  seen  on  figure  16,  the  first  type  in  a  and  b ,  the  second  in  d  and  <?, 
and  the  third  in  /  and  i.  These  forms  we  shall  designate,  respectively,  as  three- 
member,  two-member,  and  one-member  moldings.  The  two-member  probably  is 
evolved  from  the  three-member  form.  Figure  16,  c,  shows  an  intermediate  example 
where  it  is  hard  to  decide  whether  it  belongs  to  the  three-member  group  or  whether 
it  is  a  two-member  form  surmounted  by  an  outward-sloping  wall.  In  figure  16, 
d ,  we  have  an  example  of  the  two-member  type  in  which  the  source  from  which 
it  evolved  is  suggested  by  the  slope  of  the  top  of  the  walls. 


Fig.  15.- 


-Half-vaulted  passageway,  Castillo, 
Tulum. 


Niches. — The  more  important  east-coast  buildings  often  had  niches  sunk  in 
the  walls  over  one  or  more  doorways  (plate  17,  a).  These  niches,  which  are  not  to 
be  confused  with  the  sunken  panels  over  the  doors  and  under  the  lower  molding, 
run  from  the  top  of  the  lower  molding  to  the  roof,  cutting  through  the  upper  mold¬ 
ing.  In  some  cases  the  top  was  open,  but  in  others  it  was  covered  by  a  slab  of  stone 
to  protect  the  relief  sculpture  which  the  niches  invariably  contain.  Average 
dimensions  are  4  feet  high,  2  feet  wide,  and  1  foot  deep. 

Roofs. — The  roofs  appear  flat  and  are  coated  with  a  smooth  layer  of  cement. 
In  reality  they  are  very  slightly  arched  to  shed  the  water.  At  Tulum  and  Tancah 
we  observed  three  roofs  which  rose  in  terraces  (figs.  1 1 3,  120,  and  126).  In  each 
case  the  facade  was  of  the  usual  type,  and  the  one  or  more  terraces  of  the  roof  itself 
were  capped  by  roof-combs,  a  device  of  which  we  shall  speak  presently.  All  three 
buildings  contained  vaults  which  rose  into  the  terraced  portion  of  the  roof.  Pro¬ 
fessor  A.  M.  Tozzer  kindly  informed  me  that  he  observed  a  somewhat  similar 
construction  while  making  his  as  yet  unpublished  survey  of  the  Old  Empire  site  of 
La  Honradez  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  department  of  the  Peten. 


a  bcdef  g  h  1 

0  5  10  20  Ft. 


Fig.  16. — Types  of  moldings,  east  coast  of  Yucatan. 

‘  Roof  Structures. — Maya  architects  constantly  strove  to  give  their  edifices  the 
appearance  of  great  height.  This  effect  was  obtained  partly  by  means  of  sub¬ 
structures,  which  sometimes  were  as  much  as  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  sometimes 
the  lines  of  the  building  were  carried  upward  by  two  types  of  roof  construction.  One 
of  these,  known  as  the  “Flying  Facade,”  is  a  continuation  of  the  front  wall  of  a 
building  above  the  level  of  the  roof,  a  device  still  employed  to-day  in  the  small 
communities  in  the  United  States.  It  is  not  found  on  Old  Empire  Maya  buildings 
nor  on  the  east  coast,  although  not  uncommon  in  the  rest  of  YTicatan.  The  other 
means,  of  adding  to  the  height  of  buildings  is  the  “Roof-Comb,”  which  corresponds 
to  the  steeple  of  European  architecture,  but  which  differs  in  being  oblong  and  in 
covering  the  greater  part  of  the  roof  area. 

The  roof-comb  has  a  long  history.  It  first  appears  in  Old  Empire  temples  of 
the  Peten  region.  The  original  form  appears  to  have  been  an  oblong  mass  of 
masonry  rising  from  the  roof,  an  enormously  heavy  construction.  The  first  change 


39 


was  the  introduction  of  hollow  spaces  in  the  interior  to  lighten  the  load,  from  which 
was  evolved  a  form  consisting  of  two  walls  leaning  towards  each  other  and  secured 
with  cross-braces,  so  that  the  cross-section  resembles  a  capital  A.  We  then  see  the 
introduction  of  niches  containing  statuary  in  the  two  walls.  From  this  evolved  the 
latticework  roof-combs  of  Palenque,  the  culminating  stage  of  roof-combs  in  the  Old 
Empire.  With  the  stabilization  of  the  Maya  in  Yucatan  the  roof-comb  again  ap¬ 
pears,  but  in  the  form  of  a  single  high  wall  running  down  the  long  axis  of  the  building 
in  the  center  of  the  roof.  This  wall  is  usually  pierced  by  several  tiers  of  rectangular 
openings  which  either  contained  statuary  or  were  filled  with  trelliswork  of  stone. 
In  outline  the  Yucatec  roof-comb  may  be  rectangular,  but  more  often  it  rises  in  a 
series  of  steps  or  terraces,  forming  what  is  known  as  a  “castellated”  roof-comb,  the 
classical  example  of  which  is  on  the  House  of  Pigeons  at  Uxmal. 

On  the  east  coast  the  roof-comb  is  confined  to  five  examples  found  at  Tulum, 
Tancah,  and  Xelha.  They  are  all  of  the  castellated  type  just  mentioned.  Four  have 
rectangular  openings,  but  the  single  example  at  Tulum  is  pierced  with  interlocking 
triangular  spaces.  Three  of  these  buildings  have  the  peculi  ar  terraced  roofs  of  which 
we  have  spoken.  The  roof-combs  and  also  the  type  of  moldings  on  some  of  these 
edifices  suggest  that  they  were  erected  before  the  Mexican  invasion  at  the  close  of 
the  twelfth  century  A.  D. 

Decoration. — This  discussion  of  architecture,  while  defining  the  forms  of  the 
various  types  of  buildings,  gives  little  more  than  a  suggestion  as  to  their  appearance, 
for  it  seems  certain  that  they  were  heavily  laden  with  painted  and  sculptured 
decoration  which  has  been  almost  entirely  obliterated.  The  artistic  significance  we 
shall  discuss  later,  but  it  will  be  well  to  list  here  the  parts  of  the  building  which  were 
embellished.  The  parts  of  the  edifice  which  were  painted  include:  (i)  the  exterior 
walls,  which  were  adorned  with  frescoes  and  perhaps  solid  color  below  the  moldings; 
(2)  the  sunken  panels  over  the  doors;  (3)  the  rectangular  moldings;  (4)  the  interior 
walls,  which  often  bore  frescoes  or  solid  bands  of  color.  The  effect  of  this  color  is 
of  course  totally  lost  to-day,  although  its  presence  may  sometimes  be  detected. 

The  use  of  sculpture  in  the  round  is  confined  to  the  roofs,  along  the  edge  of 
which  small  statues  were  often  placed.  These  unfortunately  are  badly  battered 
and  usually  broken  off  at  the  base.  Low  and  high  relief  modeling  in  stucco  is 
found,  as  follows:  (1)  large  figures  in  high  relief  in  niches  over  doorways;  (2)  low- 
relief  figures  between  the  moldings  or  on  exterior  walls;  (3)  stucco  rosettes  on  rec¬ 
tangular  moldings;  (4)  large  stucco  heads  on  the  upper  corners  of  the  exterior  walls; 
(5)  small  stucco  heads  on  interior  walls  or  columns. 

Repairs  and  Renovations. — As  many  of  the  east-coast  buildings  must  have 
been  centuries  old  before  they  were  abandoned,  it  is  not  surprising  that  we  find 
evidence  of  repairs  made  by  the  natives.  We  have  already  described  the  trouble 
caused  by  the  beam-and-rubble  ceiling,  which  necessitated  the  introduction  of 
masonry  piers  or  even  walls  to  prevent  complete  collapse.  The  outer  walls  seem 
to  have  caused  similar  trouble,  especially  when  built  too  near  the  edge  of  the 
substructure.  This  was  remedied  by  building  a  retaining-wall  2  or  3  feet  thick 
along  the  edge  of  the  substructure.  The  wooden  beams  used  to  support  the  vaults 


40 


and  also  the  lintels  must  have  been  renewed  at  times,  but  this  could  not  have  been 
a  difficult  matter. 

The  feature  most  frequently  renewed  appears  to  have  been  the  plaster  on 
exterior  walls.  No  less  than  twenty-three  layers  were  counted  on  one  building. 
This  renewal  of  plaster  may  have  been  sporadic,  but  the  known  Maya  and  Mexican 
habit  of  ceremonial  renewal  may  have  caused  it  to  be  periodic.  In  the  latter  case 
we  should  expect  renewals  at  the  end  of  the  ^2-year  period  or  of  each  katun  (20-year 
period).  We  do  not  insist  that  the  plaster  count  is  a  positive  criterion  of  age,  but 
the  reader  will  observe  instances  where  the  katun  renewal  hypothesis  agrees 
extraordinarily  well  with  other  factors  bearing  on  chronology. 

Summary. — The  typical  building  of  eastern  Yucatan  has  a  simple  ground  plan. 
It  stands  on  a  low  substructure  and  a  bench  or  step  runs  around  the  building  itself. 
The  doorway  is  narrow,  and,  if  the  building  is  large,  it  is  divided  by  two  or  more 
round  columns  with  square  capitals.  Over  the  door  the  lintel  is  set  back  a  few 
inches  to  form  a  sunken  panel,  above  which  may  be  a  niche  containing  relief  sculp¬ 
ture.  The  walls  flare  slightly  outward  and  carry  one  or  two  strings  of  molding 
set  well  towards  the  top.  The  interior  may  be  vaulted  or  may  have  had  a  beam- 
and-rubble  ceiling  which  has  now  fallen.  There  are  one  or  more  small  windows 
and  probably  a  small  altar  set  against  the  rear  wall. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EAST  COAST  ART. 

The  art  of  the  east  coast,  like  the  architecture,  is  a  local  style  of  Maya  art 
which  often  shows  Mexican  influence.  The  surviving  examples  of  sculpture  are 
singularly  disappointing  both  in  the  originals  and  in  photographs.  While  this 
is  partly  due  to  the  savage  iconoclasm  which  has  mutilated  every  example  and 
hastened  the  process  of  natural  disintegration,  yet  what  is  still  present  does  not 
exhibit  the  firmness  of  line  associated  with  Maya  art  of  other  regions.  Frescoes, 
on  the  other  hand,  were  delineated  with  a  skill  and  vigor  to  which  our  reproductions 
do  not  do  full  justice.  Like  the  sculpture,  they  have  suffered  mutilation;  the  eyes 
of  even  the  most  minute  figures  have  been  gouged  out  or  the  entire  head  has  been 
chipped  away.  Perhaps  the  natives  did  not  wish  their  gods  to  witness  the  abandon¬ 
ment  of  their  temples  and  so  made  them  blind. 

We  shall  consider  this  subject  under  the  following  headings:  stela?,  stucco 
relief  sculpture,  sculpture  in  the  round,  mural  painting,  frescoes,  and  ceramics. 

stel^:. 

From  the  earliest  times  of  which  we  have  knowledge  the  Maya  erected  carved 
monuments  of  stone  in  front  of  their  important  temples.  These  stelae  are  decorated 
with  figures  of  gods  and  men  cut  in  relief  and  also  with  written  texts  which  often 
include  one  or  more  dates.  In  Old  Empire  sites  the  dates  are  usually  of  the  type 
known  as  an  Initial  Series  or  Long  Count,  an  exceedingly  accurate  system,  for  the 
same  date  can  repeat  itself  only  once  in  a  period  of  several  thousand  years.  In 
Yucatan,  stelae  are  not  so  common,  and  only  three  have  been  discovered  with 
dates  in  the  Long  Count.  Of  these  three,  one  is  at  Tulum.  Instead  of  the  Long 
Count,  Yucatecan  dates  are  often  recorded  in  the  Short  Count  or  Katun  (20-year 
period)  Count,  in  which  a  date  may  repeat  in  approximately  260  years.  One  of 
these  is  at  Tulum.  In  addition,  several  undated  stelae  were  seen  at  Tulum,  and 
there  is  in  the  museum  at  Merida  a  sculptured  slab  said  to  have  come  from  Cozumel. 

TULUM.  Stela  1  (plate  1,  a  and  b ,  and  fig.  17). 

Present  length,  6  feet  1  inch;  width,  3  feet;  breadth,  8  inches; 
date,  9.13. 10.0.0,  7  Ahau  3  Cumhu,  442  a.d. 

The  fragments  of  this  monument  were  discovered  by  Stephens  in  the  building 
we  have  called  the  Temple  of  the  Initial  Series.  The  stela  must  have  once  stood 
outside  the  building  in  the  courtyard  which  it  faces.  In  1911,  Dr.  George  P.  Howe 
secured  a  correct  reading  of  the  Initial  Series:  9.6.10.0.0,  8  Ahau  13  Pax,  304  A.D.1 
Howe’s  reading  was  open  to  doubt,  owing  to  the  poor  photograph  he  secured,  but 
was  proved  correct  by  the  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  of  1916.  Additional 
fragments  discovered  in  1918  (in  the  light  of  new  knowledge  of  glyph  decipherment) 
disclosed  a  “lahuntun  7  Ahau”  inscribed  below  the  opening  date  on  both  the  front 

1  Howe’s  article  appeared  in  the  American  Anthropologist  of  19 1 1 .  Mr.  Morley’s  confirmation  of  the  date,  published 
in  the  Year  Book  of  the  Carnegie  Institution  (1916)  and  the  American  Museum  Journal  (1917),  makes  the  Christian  year 
290  a.d.,  an  error  of  14  years,  according  to  his  own  correlation-tables  published  in  1920. 

41 


42 


and  the  back  of  the  stela.  To  read  the  date,  it  is  necessary  to  find  a  lahuntun 
(io-year  period)  which  ends  on  the  day  7  Ahau  and  comes  after  9.6.10.0.0.  The 
first  date  to  fulfil  these  requirements  is  9.13.10.0.0,  7  Ahau  3  Cumhu.  In  publishing 
the  stela  in  1918  and  1920,  Mr.  Morley  assumed  that  the  “lahuntun  7  Ahau” 
on  the  back  of  the  stela  was  not  the  same  date  as  the  one  on  the  front,  but  was  to  be 
added  to  it.  This  gave  the  date  10.6.10.0.0.0,  7  Ahau  18  Yaxkin,  which  is  a  full 
cycle  later  than  the  Initial  Series  date.  This  reading  was  announced  without  a 
careful  study  of  the  style  of  the  sculpture,  which  makes  the  later  reading  impossible, 


Fig.  17. — a,  b ,  stela  1,  Tulum.  c,  d ,  early  and  late  forms  of  ceremonial  bar,  Copan. 


After  Spinden. 

as  we  shall  show-  presently.  The  most  probable  date,  then,  is  9.13.10.0.0,  7  Ahau 
3  Cumhu,  442  A.D.1  This  is  given  additional  weight  because  it  so  closely  accords 
with  the  traditional  date  of  the  colonization  of  the  east  coast  as  recorded  in  the 
books  of  Chilam  Balam. 

Both  sides  of  stela  1  exhibit  a  single  standing  figure  which  is  framed  by  a  line 
of  glyphs  down  each  side  and  across  the  top.  Both  sides  are  eroded  and  indis¬ 
tinct,  the  better  preserved  being  the  front  or  side  containing  the  Initial  Series. 
The  figure  on  this  face  stands  with  his  shoulders  turned  squarely  towards  the 
spectator,  but  with  the  head  shown  in  profile.  The  head-dress  contains  two  con¬ 
ventional  faces  and  the  usual  trailing  plumes.  Across  the  breast  is  held  the  object 
known  as  a  Ceremonial  Bar.  This  is  a  kind  of  two-headed  serpent.  It  is  exceed¬ 
ingly  common  in  Old  Empire  sculpture,  and  the  study  of  the  changes  it  undergoes 
has  furnished  important  criteria  for  stylistic  dating.  (See  fig.  17,  c  and  d.)  In  the 
early  examples  the  snake’s  body  hangs  in  a  loop  (as  at  Tulum);  in  late  specimens 


1  Professor  A.  M.  Tozzer  and  Dr.  H.  J.  Spinden  agree  with  the  writer  on  this  point. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  1 


Tulum  stelae.  A,  B,  stela  i;  C,  stela  2 


•jHfERSITY  OF  HUM'S  UMMV 


43 


the  body  is  straight.  At  Copan  nine  stelae  exhibit  the  looped  Ceremonial  Bar. 
According  to  Mr.  Morley’s  interpretation  of  the  inscriptions,  these  Copan  stelae  date 
between  9.9.0.0.0  and  9.14.0.0.0.  Here,  then,  is  an  extremely  important  point  for 
dating  the  Tulum  stela,  for  if  the  date  is  9.13.10.0.0  it  accords  stylistically  with 
other  Maya  remains,  but  if  it  is  10.6.10.0.0  it  places  the  Tulum  looped  Ceremonial 
Bar  250  years  later  than  any  other  example  now  known.  Conscious  archaism  could 
alone  explain  this,  but  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  the  inhabitants  of  Tulum 
indulged  in  this  form  of  artistic  sophistry. 

The  reverse  side  of  stela  1  is  so  weathered  that  little  detail  is  visible.  It  repre¬ 
sents  a  standing  figure  which  faces  towards  the  left  and  bends  slightly  forward. 
Long  plumes  fall  from  the  head-dress  both  to  the  front  and  rear.  Vague  as  it 
is,  this  face  of  the  stela  is  important,  because  it  resembles  a  stela  said  to  have 
come  from  Cozumel. 

TULUM.  Stela  2  (plate  1,  c ). 

Present  length,  4.25  feet;  width,  1  foot  10  inches;  '  '  ' 
thickness,  9  inches;  date,  Katun  2  Ahau,  1262  a.d. 


In  front  of  the  western  doorway  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  stand  the  remains 
of  a  large  altar  or  a  small  platform  mound.  Built  into  one  side  of  this,  the  sculptured 
face  turned  inward,  was  found  the  upper  fragment  of  a  dated  stela.  The  piece 
recovered,  perhaps  three-fourths  of  the  original  stone,  has  a  rounded  top  and  is 
dressed,  though  not  sculptured  on  the  back  and  sides.  The  subject  portrayed  is  a 
figure  in  profile  sitting  or  kneeling  on  a  square  throne.  The  right 
arm  holds  an  indistinct  object  in  front  of  the  face  and  a  loin-cloth 
hangs  to  the  ground  behind.  The  head-dress  is  formed  by  a  large 
bird-head,  perhaps  the  macaw,  above  and  behind  which  rises  a 
second  head.  On  top  of  the  upper  head,  in  the  upper  right  corner 
of  the  stela,  is  a  tun  sign.  The  whole  composition  is  surrounded 
by  a  band  of  small  circles  set  between  parallel  lines. 

Stylistically  this  monument  most  closely  resembles  those 
found  at  the  Cocom  capital,  Mayapan.  The  subject  portrayed, 
however,  goes  back  to  the  time  of  the  Old  Empire.  The  border 
of  circles  also  is  found  on  Old  Empire  monuments,  although 
much  more  common  on  the  late  stelae  of  Yucatan. 

Over  the  bird-head  of  the  head-dress  and  to  the  left  of  the  upper  head  is  the 
glyph  shown  in  figure  18.  It  would  hardly  be  possible  to  identify  it  were  it  not 
for  the  custom  in  Yucatan  of  distinguishing  the  various  katuns  (20-year  periods) 
by  the  number  of  the  day,  Ahau,  on  which  they  ended.  The  numbers  attached 
to  Ahau  run  from  1  to  13;  hence  the  series  of  13  katuns  covered  a  period  of  approx¬ 
imately  260  years.  The  usual  glyph  for  Ahau  is  an  oval  face  with  two  staring 
round  eyes,  a  suggestion  of  a  nose,  and  an  oval  mouth.  On  stela  2  we  can  recognize 
the  outline  of  the  glyph  and  the  two  eyes,  but  the  nose  and  mouth  have  weathered 
away.  Over  the  right  corner  of  the  glyph  is  a  single  dot,  to  the  left  of  which  the 
stone  has  broken  away.  This  space  contained  either  one  or  two  dots,  so  that  the 
coefficient  of  the  glyph  was  either  2  or  3.  At  the  time  when  this  type  of  dating 


Fig.  18.— Inscrip¬ 
tion  on  stela  2, 
Tulum. 


44 


was  in  use  it  was  customary  to  space  the  dots  widely  apart.  Hence  we  judge 
that  the  correct  reading  is  katun  2  Ahau,  for  the  dots  would  be  in  actual  contact 
were  the  coefficient  a  3. 

Our  correlation  with  Christian  chronology,  then,  must  be  based  on  the 
following:  katun  2  Ahau  ended  in  1004,  1261 ,  and  1517  A.D. 

The  early  date  here  may  be  ruled  out  of  consideration  because  there  is  neither 
historic  nor  stylistic  evidence  to  connect  it  with  this  stela  at  present.  The  late  date — 
1517 — is  the  reading  selected  by  Mr.  Morley,  an  opinion  which  the  writer  does  not 
share,  for  this  reason :  Tulum  was  almost  certainly  sacked  and  depopulated  by  the 


Fig.  19. — Stela  3,  Tulum. 


Pachecos  in  1544,  and  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  a  stela  dedicated  in  1517  should 
have  been  broken  up  and  used  lor  building  material  before  1544.  The  Maya,  of 
course,  like  all  other  peoples,  made  use  of  their  old  sculptures  which  were  no  longer 
fashionable,  but  even  in  the  great  centers  of  stone  carving,  like  Copan,  much  more 
than  27  years  elapsed  before  this  happened.1  Granted,  then,  that  1004  and  1517 
are  both  unlikely,  the  correct  reading  is  probably  1261  A.D.  The  style  of  the 
monument,  which  resembles  the  Mayapan  stelae,  makes  this  date  quite  satisfactory. 

TULUM.  Stela  3  (fig.  19). 

Present  length,  I  foot  8.25  inches;  width,  1  foot  9  inches;  thickness,  8.5  inches. 

This  fragment  is  built  in  the  south  wall  of  shrine  40  (fig.  100)  at  Tulum.  It  is 
the  rounded  top  ol  a  badly  weathered  stela.  The  design  represents  part  of  a  head- 

1  Mr.  Morley  (1920)  cites  the  examples  of  reused  monuments  at  Copan  as  at  end  of  note.  From  these  it  appears 
that  no  stone  was  reused  for  nearly  120  years,  even  allowing  the  minimum  time  on  all  doubtful  readings,  and  that  the 
average  elapsed  time  was  about  165  years.  Was  the  Tulum  stela  reused,  then,  after  less  than  27  years? 

Stela  24  (9.  2.  10.  o.  o)  under  stela  7  (9.  9.  o.  o.  o). 

Altar  J'  (9.  o  to  9.  5)  under  stela  10  (9.  10.  19.  13.  o). 

Altar  K' (9.  o  to  9.  5)  under  stela  10  (9.  10.  19.  13.  o). 

Altar  X  (9.  5.  19.  12.  18?)  under  stela  5  (9.  13.  15  or  9.  14.  o). 

Altar  Y  (9.  7.  1.7.  6?)  under  stela  4  (9.  17.  12.  13.  o). 

Altar  A'  (9.  3  to  9.  7)  under  Hier.  Stairway  (9.  16.  5.  o.  o). 

Stela  9  (9.  6.  10.  o.  o)  under  stela  8  (9.  17.  12.  6.  2). 


45 


dress,  a  head  which  may  be  the  skull  of  the  Death  god,  and  an  arm  and  hand  clasping 
a  staff  which  runs  along  the  left  side  of  the  panel.  The  border  contains  a  series 
of  small  circles  like  stela  2,  with  which  this  example  belongs  stylistically. 

TULUM.  Stela  4. 

Present  length,  5  feet;  width,  2  feet  1  inch;  thickness,  8  inches. 

On  the  platform  at  the  back  of  the  Temple  ol  the  Frescoes  was  found  a  worked 
slab  of  stone  with  a  rounded  top.  The  upper  face  and  sides  were  dressed  but  not 
carved.  When  turned  over,  the  unexposed  face  was  found  to  be  covered  with 
plaster  from  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  thickness.  The  left  half  was  painted  blue 
and  the  right  half  was  the  natural  white  of  the  plaster.  No  painted  design  could 
be  detected.  This  find  was  of  some  importance,  because  it  is  the  only  example 
of  an  unsculptured,  plaster-covered  stela  which  still  retains  its  color.  The  side 
with  plaster  still  adherent  probably  was  the  back  of  the  monument  and  the  front 
doubtless  exhibited  a  painted  design. 


Fig.  20. — Stela  5,  Tulum. 

TULUM.  Stela  5  (fig.  20). 

Present  length,  5  feet;  width,  2  feet  5  inches;  thickness,  6  inches. 

In  front  of  the  Castillo  stairway  are  traces  of  a  small  terrace.  On  this,  12  feet 
in  front  of  the  south  balustrade,  was  found  stela  5. 

It  is  a  dressed  slab  with  a  rounded  top  and  no  carving.  Nearby  were  fragments 
of  plaster,  some  of  which  fitted  so  well  (fig.  20)  that  it  seems  certain  that  the  whole 
monument  was  once  covered  with  a  thick  layer  of  plaster  like  stela  4. 

TULUM.  Stela  6. 

Length,  5  feet  5  inches;  breadth,  1  foot  10  inches;  thickness,  6  inches. 

This  monument  was  found  10  feet  south  of  stela  5.  It  also  is  an  uncarved 
but  dressed  slab  with  a  rounded  top.  No  traces  of  decoration  were  found,  but 
probably  at  one  time  it  was  plastered  and  painted. 


46 


TULUM.  Stelae  7  and  8. 

Stephens'  writes  that  at  the  back  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes 

“were  two  stone  tablets  with  rounded  surfaces,  six  feet  six  inches  high,  two  feet  four 
inches  wide,  and  eight  inches  thick,  having  upon  them 
worn  and  indistinct  traces  of  sculpture.” 

These  we  did  not  find.  Perhaps  they  formed 
part  of  the  collection  made  by  Stephens  and  de¬ 
stroyed  by  fire  in  the  United  States. 

The  Cozumel  Stela. 

Length,  5  feet;  width,  1  foot  6  inches. 

In  the  Peabody  Museum  of  Harvard  Univer¬ 
sity  is  a  plaster  cast  of  a  stela,  made  by  Charnay 
in  1882  from  the  original  in  the  museum  at  Merida, 

Yucatan,  which  is  said  to  have  come  from  the  island 
of  Cozumel.  I  can  find  no  published  notice  of  this 
monument  and  can  adduce  no  proof  that  it  ac¬ 
tually  came  from  Cozumel  except  that  the  position 
of  the  chief  figure  and  the  clothes  resemble  the 
reverse  side  of  stela  1  at  Tulum.  An  inscription 
evidently  once  occupied  the  L-shaped  panel  in 
front  of  the  chief  figure,  but  of  this  no  trace  re¬ 
mains.  'There  appear  to  have  been  two  glyphs  as 
well  in  front  of  the  small  figure. 

STUCCO  RELIEF  SCULPTURE. 

Apart  from  the  stelte,  east-coast  sculpture  is 
generally  subordinated  to  architecture.  Relief 
figures  are  found  in  the  vertical  niches  above  the 
doors,  basreliefs  are  seen  on  the  walls  and  columns, 
and  small  statues  in  the  round  appear  on  the  edges 
of  the  roof.  In  all  these  types  the  framework  is 
made  of  stone  or  clay  covered  with  plaster,  which 
was  originally  finished  in  brilliant  colors.  Although 
deliberate  iconoclasm  and  a  tropical  climate  have 
combined  to  mutilate  all  examples  of  sculpture, 
and  it  is  therefore  not  entirely  fair  to  judge  by 
what  remains,  there  is  no  denying  that  east-coast  FlG-  2,T 
sculpture  is  provincial  in  character  and  entirely 
lacks  the  vigor  of  Maya  art  from  other  regions. 

Eleven  vertical  niches  over  the  doors  at  Tulum  contain  sculpture  in  high  relief, 
and  other  statues  have  apparently  been  destroyed  by  falling  walls.  At  Cancuen 
and  I  ancah,  also,  there  are  niche  figures.  The  subject  of  the  sculpture  is  either 
the  Diving  god  or  a  “standing”  figure,  framed  by  a  row  of  feathers,  as  shown 
on  plate  2,  b,  d.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  bases  of  these  statues  are  all  broken  away, 


Stela  said  to  be  from  Coz¬ 
umel  Island.  Courtesy  of  Peabody 
Museum,  Harvard  University. 


1  Vol.  ii,  p.  403. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  2 


flMEBsmr  of  himvis  unm> 


47 


and  we  have  a  suspicion  that  the  figures  may  not  have  been  standing,  but  seated 
cross-legged. 

By  far  the  most  common  niche  figure  is  the  Diving  god  (fig.  22),  a  deity 
with  a  bird-tail  and  with  wings  on  his  arms  and  shoulders,  like  a  Christian  angel, 
who  is  represented  in  the  act  of  flying  downward.  This  subject  does  not  appear 
in  Old  Empire  art,  but  is  found  in  the  three  Maya  codices.  While  gods  A  and  B 
sometimes  appear  in  this  position,  it  is  more  often  god  D  who  is  thus  portrayed. 
We  would  call,  attention  especially  to  a  representation  of  god  D  in  the  act  of 
‘‘diving”  in  front  of  a  temple  and  holding  in  his  hand  the  hieroglyph  of  the  Corn 
god.1  God  D  is  usually  identified  as  Itzamna.  Furthermore,  a  Diving  god,  which 
Seler2  identified  as  Tonatiuh,  the  Sun  god,  appears  in  the  Mexican  codices. 


Fig.  22. — The  Diving  god,  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum. 

Other  examples  of  the  Diving  god,  which  offer  slight  variation  in  detail,  are 
shown  on  plate  3,  a  and  b.  The  first  example  is  badly  weathered,  but  the  second  is 
still  brightly  painted  in  orange  and  red.  An  unusually  elaborate  example  in  color  is 
seen  on  plate  23.  The  colors  employed  are  red,  blue,  black,  and  orange.  The  latter 
is  used  only  on  the  plates  of  the  collar  and  may  represent  gold.  Blue  and  red  are 
used  on  the  body,  while  the  background  and  some  of  the  feathers  are  black.  On 
either  side  of  the  body  and  tail  are  twisted  strands  of  brightly  colored  rope.  Two 
serpents,  one  almost  obliterated,  emerge  from  the  tail.  The  whole  effect  is  brilliant, 
yet  confusing  in  the  present  battered  condition  of  the  sculpture. 


1  Codex  Peresianus,  De  Rosny  edition,  Paris,  1887,  pi.  17. 
3  Codex  Vaticanus  3773,  Berlin,  1902-1903,  p.  11. 


48 


The  method  of  construction  employed  in  these  figures  is  seen  in  figure  23, 
which  shows  two  reliefs  from  which  the  plaster  has  largely  peeled  off.  In  a  the 
limestone  base  on  which  the  face  was  modeled  is  seen.  In  b  the  head  was  built  on  a 
drum-shaped  stone  at  the  bottom.  Above  this  the  shoulders  and  upper  arms  are 
indicated  by  a  semicircle  from  which  the  wings  radiate.  The  right  forearm  is  still 
partly  preserved,  but  the  left  arm  is  broken  at  the  elbow,  revealing  the  fact  that 
the  upper  arm  was  modeled  over  a  pottery  tube  set  in  the  wall.  The  left  knee,  with 
a  band  below,  is  still  present,  but  the  right  leg  is  indicated  merely  by  two  unshaped 
stones  set  in  the  wall. 


Fig.  23. — Skeletons  of  stucco  figures,  structure  20,  Tulum:  a,  outer 

doorway;  b,  inner  doorway. 


Heads,  or  more  rarely  full  figures,  modeled  in  low  relief,  are  found  on  interior 
and  exterior  walls  and  on  columns.  At  Tulum  they  are  found  on  the  Castillo, 
structure  3,  the  Temple  of  the  Initial  Series,  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  and 
structures  20,  25,  and  55.  Typical  examples  from  the  Castillo  on  figures  47  and  48 


ar\ 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  3 


Tulum  sculpture.  A,  Castillo;  B— D,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes. 


*»wmr  of  Illinois  library 


•  v, 


.wr  <■ 
w  r 


49 


exhibit  crude  workmanship  and  simple  motives.  Two  unusually  elaborate  examples 
are  shown  on  plate  3,  c  and  d.  They  represent  small  human  figures  enmeshed  in 
the  coils  of  serpents.  The  details  are  lost,  owing  to  the  violent  destruction  of  the 
heads  and  subsequent  weathering. 

The  heads  on  walls  are  of  every  variety  and  can  not  be  classified.  Like  the 
niche  figures,  they  are  usually  built  over  a  framework  of  stone,  which,  in  the  smaller 
examples,  is  merely  a  peg  on  which  the  modeled  plaster  hung  (fig.  48,  a).  This 
makes  it  probable  that  their  location  was  planned  by  the  architect  at  the  time  the 
building  was  erected. 

A  special  form  of  stucco  head  in  low  relief  appears  on  the  corners  of  the  top  of 
the  C  astillo  (fig.  44)  and  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  at  Tulum  (fig.  24).  These  are 
respectively  4  feet  8  inches  and  5  feet  4  inches  high.  In  the  Castillo  example  the 
face  appears  between  the  moldings  and 
the  head-dress  above  the  upper  mold¬ 
ing,  but  in  figure  24  only  the  nose  and 
eye  come  between  the  moldings,  while 
the  head-dress  and  “  eye-pla%j>^are 
placed  over  the  upper  molding  and  the 
mouth  and  chin  beneath  the  lower  mold¬ 
ing.  The  subject  in  the  case  of  the  latter 
is  god  D,  Itzamna,  but  it  is  doubtful 
in  the  Castillo  example. 

The  closest  stylistic  relationship 
of  these  heads  appears  to  be  to  the 
caras  gigantescas  at  Izamal  and  Nocu- 
chich.  A  study  of  Yucatec  ruins  makes 
evident  the  fact  that  such  large  faces 
were  not  an  uncommon  decoration  once,  FIG-  24- — Stucco  head  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
but  have  completely  crumbled  away  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum. 

almost  everywhere.  The  back  wall  of  the  central  portion  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum 
(plate  12,  b)  is  covered  with  stone  pegs,  which  suggest  that  it  may  have  been  thus 
adorned. 

SCULPTURE  IN  THE  ROUND. 

Sculpture  in  the  round  is  uncommon  on  the  east  coast.  At  Tulum,  in  front  of 
structure  3,  we  found  a  very  much  battered  stone  statue,  of  which  a  photograph  is 
seen  on  plate  2,  a.  It  evidently  represents  no  more  than  the  base  over  which  the 
plaster  was  modeled.  Other  examples  of  sculpture  in  the  round  include  small 
statues  set  on  the  edge  of  the  roofs  at  Tulum  and  Tulum  Playa.  Like  the  statue 
described,  they  now  exhibit  only  the  stone  base  on  which  the  plaster  was  laid.  We 
secured  no  adequate  photograph  of  this  type. 

The  largest  and  most  elaborate  example  of  sculpture  in  the  round  on  the  east 
coast  is  the  Chacmool  figure  at  the  ruins  of  the  same  name  (fig.  175).  It  is  4  feet 
6  inches  long,  2  feet  6  inches  wide,  and  1  foot  8  inches  high.  It  portrays  the  usual 


50 


reclining  body,  but  lacks  the  bowl  typically  found  on  the  belly.  The  head  is 
broken  away.  This  figure  is  made  of  plaster  modeled  over  a  masonry  core. 

Other  large  sculptures  on  the  east  coast  include  serpent-columns  and  serpent- 
balustrades.  The  heads  on  the  serpent-columns  at  Tulum  have  been  destroyed, 
while  those  at  Nisucte  have  not  been  described.  A  full  account  of  the  serpent- 
balustrades  at  El  Meco  has  never  been  published. 

MURAL  PAINTING. 

Our  observations  lead  us  to  believe  that  the  greater  part  of  the  east-coast 
buildings  were  painted  both  inside  and  out,  either  with  solid  colors  or  with  frescoes. 
To-day  the  paint  has  largely  disappeared  and  it  is  difficult  to  determine  the  extent 
of  color-bands  or  the  outline  of  frescoes.  At  Tulum  we  observed  traces  of  paint 
in  rooms  <2,  c,  <?,  and  the  passageway  of  the  Castillo,  the  exterior  and  interior  of  the 
Temple  of  the  Diving  God  and  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  rooms  a  in  structures 
20,  21,  and  25,  and  the  exterior  of  structure  55,  as  well  as  on  the  sunken  panels  over 
the  doors  of  various  other  buildings.  At  Tancah  there  are  frescoes  in  temple  12. 

In  room  a  of  structure  21  at  Tulum  there  is  a  broad  blue  band  at  the  top,  and 
the  rest  of  the  wall  is  painted  red,  as  indicated  in  figure  1 2.  The  doorway  of  room  a 
of  the  Castillo,  which  leads  to  the  inner  chamber,  is  shown  on  plate  5,  b.  The 
sunken  panel  is  painted  a  turquoise  blue  outlined  in  black,  with  a  simple  geometrical 
pattern  in  white  in  the  center.  The  north  half  of  the  room  to  the  height  of  the 
spring  of  the  vault  is  painted  red  and  the  south  half  is  blue.  This  may  have  a 
symbolical  significance,  for  the  Maya  are  known  to  have  associated  colors  with  the 
world  directions.  Red  is  usually  assigned  to  the  north  and  black  to  the  south, 
although  the  evidence  is  conflicting  and  in  certain  cases  these  colors  are  reversed. 

FRESCOES. 

Frescoes  and  painted  walls  were  observed  at  several  cities,  but  only  the  frescoes 
seen  at  Tulum  were  copied,  owing  to  lack  of  time  and  proper  equipment,  and  the 
record  obtained  at  this  site  is  by  no  means  complete.  The  examples  which  we 
reproduce  are  from  the  passageway  in  the  Castillo,  the  outer  and  inner  walls  of  the 
Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  and  the  west  and  north  corridors  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Frescoes.  These  paintings  may  be  placed  in  three  stylistic  groups. 

Our  first  type  is  found  in  the  passageway  and  wings  of  the  Castillo  and  is 
shown  on  plate  4.  It  depicts  large  figures  in  broad,  crisp,  black  lines  of  unusual 
vigor.  The  background  is  the  natural  white  of  the  plaster  and  the  supplementary 
colors  are  turquoise  and  orange.  The  general  effect  is  of  greater  restraint  and 
severity  than  in  the  other  types.  In  subject-matter  this  group  shows  more  direct 
Mexican  influence  than  the  others. 

A  second  class  of  painting  is  seen  on  the  inside  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving 
God  (plate  5,  b).  The  figures  are  about  half  the  size  of  those  in  the  first  group. 
The  outlines  are  strongly  executed,  but  with  a  thinner  line,  and  they  are  partially 
obscured  by  the  wealth  of  detail.  Portions  of  the  figures  are  rendered  in  red  and 
the  background  is  turquoise  blue.  Painted  panels  are  outlined  by  broad  bands 
on  which  simple  patterns  in  white  are  silhouetted  against  a  black  background. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  4 


Frescoes  in  the  Castillo,  Tulum.  Height  of  A:  5  feet. 


51 


The  third  group  is  found  on  the  outer  walls  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God 
and  the  corridors  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  (plate  7).  The  figures  are  slightly 
smaller  than  those  of  the  second  group  and  have  an  even  greater  mass  of  detail. 
The  backgrounds  are  either  white,  the  color  of  the  plaster,  or  a  dull  black,  and  the 
only  additional  color  is  turquoise  blue. 

The  chronological  significance  of  this  grouping  is  probably  not  great.  Types 
2  and  3  are  seen  on  outer  layers  of  plaster.  Type  1  is  the  next  to  last  layer,  but  the 
outer  surface  in  the  passageway  in  the  Castillo  is  painted  with  badly  weathered 
figures  in  very  similar  style.  The  actual  painting  was  probably  done  by  the 
priests,  and  stylistic  differences  should  perhaps  be  attributed  to  different  traditions 
preserved  by  the  priesthood  of  the  various  temples. 

Surprisingly  little  relationship  is  seen  between  the  Tulum  frescoes  and  other 
Mayan  and  Mexican  paintings.  The  wall-paintings  at  Santa  Rita,1  in  northern 


Fig.  25. — Potsherd, 
Chichen  Itza.  Xo.t; 
Courtesy  of  Peabody  Mus. 
Harvard  University. 


Fig.  26. — Manikin  scepter. 

After  Spinden. 


British  Honduras,  portray  many  of  the  deities  seen  at  Tulum;  but  the  quality  of 
the  line  is  totally  different,  many  more  colors  are  used,  the  tone  of  the  design  is 
decidedly  restless  instead  of  calm,  and  many  small  details  are  directly  borrowed 
from  Mexico.  They  therefore  bear  little  direct  relation  to  the  frescoes  at  Tulum, 
but  show  distinct  affiliation  with  the  wall-paintings  at  Mitla.  In  central  Yucatan 
frescoes  have  been  copied  on  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers  at  Chichen  Itza  by  Miss 
Breton2  and  at  Chacmultun,  Tzula,  and  Xkichmook  by  Thompson.3  Wall 
paintings  are  also  noted  by  Stephens4  at  Tankuche  and  Xul,  but  these  have  not 
been  published.  In  addition,  painted  capstones  on  the  vaults  have  been  seen  at 
Kewick,  Uxmal,  and  Chichen  Itza.  With  the  exception  of  two  capstones,  all  these 
paintings  are  totally  unlike  those  at  Tulum,  both  in  subject-matter  and  in  treat¬ 
ment.  The  two  capstones  mentioned  come  from  Chichen  Itza  and  Kewick.  They 
each  represent  a  religious  subject,  but  the  style  is  quite  unlike  that  at  Tulum. 

1  These  frescoes  are  reproduced  in  color  by  Gann  (1901). 

2  Copies  of  these  frescoes  are  exhibited  in  the  Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  University.  They  have  not  been  pub¬ 
lished,  but  Miss  Breton  has  brought  out  a  short  description  entitled  “The  wall  paintings  at  Chichen  Itza”  (Int.  Congr.  Amer., 
xv  session,  Quebec,  1906,  pp.  165-169). 

3  These  have  been  published  in  the  Peabody  Museum  Memoirs,  vol.  111,  No.  1,  plates  2,  8,  and  9,  and  Field  Colum¬ 
bian  Museum,  Anth.  ser.,  vol.  11. 

4  1848,  vol.  1,  pp.  204-205,  and  vol.  11,  pp.  92-93. 


52 


The  three  surviving  Maya  codices  all  depict  religious  subjects,  and  through 
these  we  can  identify  or  find  parallels  to  most  of  the  figures  on  Tulum  walls.  The 
codex  stylistically  closest  to  the  frescoes  is  without  any  doubt  the  Peresianus /  but 
even  here  the  likeness  is  not  sufficiently  close  to  be  significant. 

We  are  forced  to  the  conclusion,  then,  from  this  survey  of  Maya  paintings, 
that  our  frescoes  at  Tulum,  while  belonging  in  the  general  current  of  Maya  art, 
neither  contribute  to  nor  are  derived  from  any  source  which  we  can  determine. 
However,  they  find  a  very  close  parallel  in  a  surprising  source,  namely,  certain 
potsherds  from  Chichen  Itza,  which  so  exactly  resemble  the  Tulum  workmanship 
that  the  same  hands  might  have  created  both  (fig.  25).  These  pottery  fragments 
are  pieces  of  large  vessels  1  or  3  feet  high,  so  the  curve  is  very  slight  and  the  figures 
are  almost  as  large  as  those  in  our  third  style  of  fresco  at  Tulum.  The  clay  of  the 
vessel-walls  has  been  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of  plaster,  which  was  painted  while 
still  wet,  like  the  frescoes. 

CASTILLO  FRESCOES. 

The  mural  paintings  in  the  Castillo  are  found  on  the  east  wall  of  the  passageway 
which  unites  the  two  wings.  They  formerly  extended  into  the  two  adjoining  rooms 
(see  fig  41),  but  exposure  to  the  weather  has  almost  obliterated  them,  except  where 
they  were  protected  by  the  vault  of  the  passage.  The  outer  face  of  the  wall  is 
decorated  with  frescoes  very  similar  to  those  that  we  shall  describe,  but  obscured  by 
mold  and  dirt.  At  the  top  is  a  row  of  glyphs  too  indistinct  to  permit  recording  or 
deciphering.  , 

The  second  layer  of  plaster  was  revealed  for  several  feet  in  the  northern  half 
of  the  passageway,  where  the  outer  surface  had  crumbled  away.  Along  the  top  of 
the  wall  a  series  of  half-effaced  loops  can  be  seen,  which  evidently  formed  a  con¬ 
stellation-band  like  the  one  found  on  the  outer  wall  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving 
God.  Below  this  is  an  array  of  deities  and  symbolical  animals  of  the  general  type 
seen  in  both  Mexican  and  Maya  codices.  The  figure  in  the  center  of  plate  4,  b, 
represents  the  Maya  divinity  known  as  god  D,2  who  is  associated  with  the  feathered 
serpent,  with  water  and  rain,  with  plants  and  vegetation  (especially  corn),  and  with 
fish  and  shells.  God  D  is  evidently  closely  related  tp  the  “Long-Nosed”  god  of 
the  Old  Empire  sculpture  and  so  closely  resembles  god  K  of  the  codices  in  appear¬ 
ance  and  attributes  that  by  some  the  two  are  thought  to  be  identical.  God  B  is 
identified  either  as  Kukulcan,  the  Feathered  Serpent,  god  of  the  Air  and  Maya 
counterpart  of  the  Mexican  Quetzalcoatl,  or  as  Chac,  the  god  of  Rain.  This  point 
has  been  debated  at  length  by  Mayan  students  without  reaching  positive  results. 

The  figure  seen  in  the  frescoes  has  a  long,  turned-down  nose  surmounted  by  a 
large  scroll;  the  mouth  has  projecting  fangs,  and  the  eye  is  surmounted  by  an 
“eye-plate”  of  reptilian  character.  On  the  head  is  a  crest  suggestive  of  the  painted 
monkeys  found  on  pottery  vessels  in  Nicaragua  and  Costa  Rica.  At  the  small  of 

1  Codex  Peresianus  in  the  Bibliothcque  Nationale  in  Paris.  Ed.  de  Rosny,  Paris,  1887  (in  colors)  and  1888  (black  and 
white).  Ed.  Gates,  Point  Loma,  1909. 

2  The  Maya  gods  represented  in  the  codices,  in  view  of  the  uncertainty  of  identification,  are  usually  designated  by 
letters,  according  to  a  scheme  devised  by  Schellhas.  An  English  translation  of  his  text  will  be  found  in  the  Peabody  Museum 
Papers,  vol.  iv,  No.  1. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  5 


TULUM 

A.  — Doorway  in  room  a  of  the  Castillo  (restored). 

B.  — Frescoes  on  the  east  interior  wall,  Temple  of  the  Diving  God. 


uiraiiTy  or  hi  iihi  >  iw<> »*• 


the  back  is  a  circular  object  which  may  be  a  bell.  One  hand  is  raised  above  the 
head,  grasping  a  serpent,  the  head  of  which  is  seen  near.  The  other  hand  holds 
an  inverted  bowl  containing  three  large  lumps  of  incense.  This  symbol  we  discuss 
fully  below. 

At  the  left  side  of  plate  4,  b,  we  see  a  peculiar-looking  animal  known  among  the 
Aztecs  as  Cipactli,  the  primordeal  alligator  from  whom  the  earth  was  created. 
This  beast  is  definitely  associated  with  the  Aztecs,  and,  like  so  many  other  mytholog¬ 
ical  conceptions,  was  doubtless  inherited  from  their  predecessors,  the  Toltecs.  Its 
presence  at  Tulum  we  can  only  regard  as  proof  of  strong  Mexican  influence. 

Beneath  the  row  of  deities  and  animals  is  a  procession  of  standing  or  striding 
figures.  Those  directly  beneath  plate  4,  b,  are  effaced,  but  one  nearby  is  shown  in 
a.  The  head  and  shoulders  of  this  figure  have  been  destroyed  by  malicious  chipping 
away  of  the  plaster  on  which  they  were  painted,  but  the  position  of  the  head  is 
indicated  by  the  head-dress,  which  consists  of  a  central  turban-like  affair  set 
with  disks  on  the  sides  and  drooping  plumes  at  the  back  and  front.  A  long 
feather  cloak  hangs  from  the  shoulders  to  t|),e  hips,  and  the  legs  are  adorned  with 
bands  and  tassels,  while  elaborate  sandals  appear  on  the  feet. 

In  the  hand  (at  the  right  side  of  the  picture)  is  grasped  a  manikin  scepter. 
This  object  appears  throughout  almost  the  entire  range  of  Maya  art  (fig.  26).  It 
consists  of  a  diminutive  figure  set  on  one  end  of  a  staff  formed  by  a  serpent  which 
issues  from  the  abdomen  of  the  small  figure.  The  conception  has  been  thought 
phallic  by  some,  but  this  is  unlikely,  owing  to  the  rarity  of  phallic  symbols  in  Maya 
art  before  the  advent  of  the  Toltecs.  Its  true  nature  is  apparent  in  certain  Old 
Empire  sculptures,  which  exhibit  a  celt  set  in  the  upper  end.  We  are  dealing,  then, 
with  a  conventionalized  ax  with  a  small  carved  figure  at  the  poll  and  a  serpent- 
head  at  the  butt — perhaps  a  symbol  of  authority  conventionalized  almost  past 
recognition,  like  the  mace  carried  in  the  House  of  Commons.  The  Old  Empire 
examples  all  have  figures  of  the  Long-Nosed  god  on  the  upper  end,  but  the  Tulum 
example  portrays  a  little  animal  with  cloven  hoofs  and  distended  belly,  perhaps 
a  deer. 

At  the  bottom  of  plate  4,  a,  are  parts  of  a  serpent-body  and  a  tiny  head, 
which  may  be  that  of  god  C,  the  North  Star  god.  Above  is  a  bowl  containing 
offerings  of  incense  and  also  the  head  of  a  serpent.  At  the  top,  directly  over  the 
chief  figure,  is  part  of  a  scorpion  like  those  seen  in  the  codices.  This  is  evidently 
another  one  of  the  figures  attached  to  the  constellation-band  already  described. 

Frescoes  on  the  Temple  of  the  Divmg  God. — -This  temple,  which  shows  two 
periods  of  construction,  is  a  small  building  standing  on  the  north  side  of  the  inner 
inclosure  at  Tulum.  The  interior  east  wall  and  the  exterior  north  and  west  walls 
were  painted  with  frescoes.  The  interior  frescoes  (plate  5)  adorn  the  entire  back 
wall  of  the  temple.  They  are  covered  with  mold  and  a  limestone  deposit  caused 
by  sweating  of  the  plaster,  and  they  can  not  be  clearly  seen  in  the  obscure  light. 
The  plaster  on  which  they  are  painted  is  now  dry  and  crumbles  rather  readily. 
The  frescoes  which  we  publish  are  at  the  north  end  of  the  wall.  They  are  repro¬ 
duced  from  a  photograph  and  a  hasty  colored  sketch  by  Mr.  John  Held. 


54 


The  painted  design  consisted  of  a  series  of  six  figures,  of  which  we  reproduce 
only  one.  This  series  was  outlined  by  a  two-headed  serpent.  The  two  heads 
are  found  at  the  base  on  either  side  and  were  joined  by  a  body  which  ran  up  the 
wall  and  then  across  the  top.  The  head  unfortunately  did  not  appear  on  our 
photograph,  but  plate  5  shows  the  body  running  up  the  wall  and  then  at  right 
angles  across  it.  The  pattern  on  the  body  is  uncertain,  but  probably  was  a  con¬ 
stellation-band.  Across  the  top  of  the  panel  beneath  the  serpent-body  is  a  second 
band,  also  much  effaced,  which  surely  is  a  constellation-band.  The  pattern  is  a 
series  of  small  motives,  among  which  is  the  sun-symbol,  outlined  against  a  black 
background. 

The  principal  figure  is  an  anthropomorphic  creature  with  a  bird-head,  human 
arms  and  body,  and  jaguar-claws.  From  the  mouth  projects  a  long  tube  with 
loops  at  the  end.  The  conception  is  probably  similar  to  that  found  on  a  pier  of 
the  Temple  of  the  Cross  at  Palenque,  which  represents  an  old  man  with  a  tube  in 
his  mouth,  from  which  he  evidently  blows  smoke.  The  figure  on  the  frescoes  is 
painted  in  black  and  brightened  by  touches  of  red.  The  background  is  painted  a 
vivid  blue-green,  the  color  of  the  water  as  seen  from  the  cliffs  at  Tulum. 

Only  the  frescoes  on  the  northern  half  of  the  west  facade  are  still  preserved, 
and  these,  according  to  photographs  taken  in  1916  and  1922,  are  disappearing 
rapidly,  although  the  plaster  is  solid.  The  outlines  are  supplied  in  black  and  details 
are  added  in  blue.  I  am  unable  to  say  whether  the  background  was  painted. 
At  the  top  of  the  design  (plate  6) 1  is  a  constellation-band  of  the  type  seen  in  the 
Castillo  passageway,  but  in  a  much  better  state  of  preservation.  Beneath  this, 
bearing  symbolical  objects,  are  three  series  of  deities,  which  are  separated  into  rows 
by  the  bodies  of  intertwined  conventionalized  serpents  in  the  same  manner  as  in 
the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes. 

The  upper  panel  contains  the  representations  of  two  deities.  The  figure  on 
the  left  is  god  D,  the  Roman-Nosed  god,  one  of  the  most  important  figures  in  the 
codices,  who  is  usually  identified  as  Itzamna.  God  D  is  obviously  a  benevo¬ 
lent  deity  with  universal  power;  he  rules  both  the  night  and  the  day,  and  he 
is  connected  with  the  serpent,  though  not  so  closely  as  gods  B  and  K.  In  Old 
Empire  sculpture  his  head  is  frequently  joined  on  one  end  of  the  Two-Headed 
Dragon  motive.  In  both  Old  Empire  art  and  the  codices  he  often  is  associated 
with  the  sun  (kin)  symbol.  In  the  frescoes  here  he  is  represented  on  a  throne,  a 
fragment  of  which  may  be  seen.  (Compare  this  with  the  throne  of  the  left-hand 
figure  in  the  bottom  panel.)  His  head-dress  is  indistinct,  but  includes  an  elaborate 
knot  (a  motive  of  which  we  shall  speak  later),  and  probably  terminates  in  a  reptilian 
head.  In  his  hands  he  carries  a  long  staff  with  trailing  feathers,  above  which  is  a 
kin  sign.  On  the  staff  in  front  of  the  face  are  three  loops,  which  may  be  incense, 
and  at  the  top  is  the  head-dress  of  the  Corn  god,  a  conventionalized  ear  of  corn 
surrounded  by  leaves.  Behind  god  D  is  a  large  rosette,  and  at  the  left  side  of  the 
plate  is  a  bowl  of  offerings,  also  capped  by  the  head-dress  of  the  Corn  god. 

1  Three  of  the  heads  on  this  plate  have  been  published  by  Mr.  Morley  (1918),  erroneously  labeled  “Temple  16.” 
Our  plate  6  is  drawn  from  a  photograph  and  colored  from  drawings  made  by  Dr.  Gann  in  1916. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  6 


Frescoes  on  the  West  Facade,  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum. 

Height:  about  3.5  feet. 


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55 


The  right-hand  figure  in  the  upper  panel  of  plate  6  faces  god  D.  The  original 
posture  is  uncertain.  An  arm  clearly  runs  across  the  body,  terminating  in  a  hand 
which  clasps  another  hand.  In  front  of  the  face  apparently  is  a  third  hand  clasping 
a  short  wand  with  a  curved  top.  The  head-dress  is  that  of  god  E,  the  Corn  god. 
Behind  the  divinity  is  a  large  rosette  like  that  be¬ 
hind  god  D.  At  the  right  end  of  the  upper  panel 
is  a  hand  clasping  a  standard  like  that  carried  by 
god  D. 

The  lower  panel  on  plate  6  is  the  center  panel 
on  the  facade  of  the  building.  The  section  repro¬ 
duced  again  represents  two  divinities.  That  on  the 
right  is  clearly  god  B,  already  seen  in  the  Castillo 
passage,  who  may  be  recognized  by  his  long,  turned- 
down  nose,  surmounted  by  a  scroll,  and  by  his 
peculiar  mouth.  He  is  represented  here  with  an 
elaborate  head-dress,  the  top  line  of  which  is 
uncertain  and  the  back  completely  obliterated.  He 
is  apparently  advancing  towards  a  bowl  of  offerings 
with  outstretched  hands.  The  bowl  itself  has  dis¬ 
appeared,  but  the  offerings  still  remain.  They 
consist  of  three  large  lumps  above  and  below  which 
are  elaborate  knots.  Above  the  upper  knot  is 
another  lump  in  which  is  set  the  head-dress  of  the 
Corn  god.  This  conception  is  seen  in  the  codices 
and  also  on  the  frescoes  at  San  Rita  in  British 
Honduras,1  where  similarly  placed  knots  and  offer¬ 
ings  are  found. 

The  figure  at  the  left  is  seated  on  a  throne  and 
holds  in  his  hands  a  standard  like  those  in  the  upper 
panel.  Over  his  shoulders  is  a  short  cloak  decorated 
with  star-symbols.  The  head-dress  contains  many 
small  loops,  which  are  repeated  again  on  the  base  of 
the  standard. 

The  frescoes  described  are  on  the  north  half  of 
the  western  fagade.  It  seems  probable  that  they 
once  continued  around  all  four  sides  of  the  building, 

but  to-day  there  remain  only  those  we  have  seen  and  ^ IG-  27.  — Mural  paintings  on  the 

.  r  ,1  ^  j  r  11  1  •  1  north  wall  of  Temple  of  the 

two  figures  on  the  west  end  of  the  north  wall,  which  rv  •  n  a  ^  1 

l  n  Diving  God,  Tulum. 

are  shown  on  figure  27.  Although  the  black  paint 

of  the  outlines  is  quite  distinct,  the  blue  paint  has  totally  disappeared.  The  upper 
figure  appears  to  be  an  aged  divinity  with  bent  back,  who  carries  the  usual  standard. 
Beneath  this  deity  are  traces  of  a  large  bowl  containing  offerings  and  various 
floral  forms. 


1  Gann,  1901,  plate  30. 


56 


The  divinity  in  the  lower  panel  is  god  E,  the  Corn  god,  who  is  recognized  by 
the  conventionalized  ear  of  corn  sprouting  from  the  top  of  his  head  and  by  his 
youthful  face.  In  the  Old  Empire  sculpture  he  is  represented  as  an  idealized  youth, 
and  his  likeness  has  come  down  to  us  in  some  of  the  most  beautiful  art  of  the 
period.  At  that  time  he  appears  to  have  occupied  an  unimportant  place  in  the 
Pantheon.  In  the  codices,  god  E  is  quite  common,  especially  in  the  Madrid  manu¬ 
script,  but  can  not  be  considered  a  deity  of  prime  importance.  Schellhas1  states  that 
he  is  the  god  of  husbandry,  of  life,  of  prosperity,  and  of  fruitfulness.  Symbols  of 
death  never  occur  with  him.  He  may  be  tentatively  identified  with  the  name  Yum 
Kaax,  “  Lord  of  the  Harvest  Fields.”  The  day-sign  Kan  is  frequently  associated  with 
him,  appearing  on  his  head  on  sacred  objects  associated  with  him.  In  the  mural 
paintings  at  Tulum,  god  E  is  the  dominant  personage.  Not  only  do  we  find  the 
god  himself  constantly  represented,  but  his  attributes  are  often  attached  to  other 
divinities,  as  we  shall  see,  and  his  symbols,  especially  the  standard  with  his  head¬ 
dress,  occur  everywhere.  In  the  instance  on  figure  27,  god  E  is  shown  walking  with 
a  standard  in  his  hands,  on  which  is  a  kin  sign  at  the  bottom  and  his  own  head-dress 
at  the  top.  This  presentation  is  similar  to  that  on  the  north  corridor  of  the  Temple 
of  the  Frescoes  (plate  8). 

Temple  of  the  Frescoes. — The  most  extensive  mural  paintings  at  Tulum  are  on 
structure  16  (fig.  70),  which  has  been  called  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes.  Several  peri¬ 
ods  of  growth  of  this  building  have  resulted  in  inclosing  three  sides  of  the  original 
edifice  in  a  colonnaded  passage.  The  three  walls  to  the  height  of  the  upper  molding 
were  covered  with  mural  paintings,  the  greater  part  of  which  are  still  partially 
preserved.  Plate  7  shows  the  entire  inner  wall  of  the  west  passage,  which  once  was 
the  west  fagade  of  the  original  building,  and  also  the  doorway  which  leads  to  the 
inner  room.  The  paintings  display  five  rows  of  figures  which  are  designated  on 
plate  7  by  the  letters  A-E  and  F-J  on  the  two  sides.  The  upper  rows  (A  and  F) 
show  a  series  of  deities  between  the  two  moldings,  which  are  themselves  painted 
with  a  line  of  chevrons  and  rosettes.  The  next  six  rows  (B-D  and  G-I)  also  contain 
various  divinities  and  are  divided  into  panels  by  the  bodies  of  conventionalized 
intertwined  serpents.  At  the  bottom  are  several  fishes. 

We  shall  start  our  description  of  the  paintings  at  the  right  end  of  row  A,  at 
the  edge  of  the  niche  containing  the  sculptured  Diving  god,  and  work  to  the  left. 
The  first  motive  encountered  is  shaped  like  an  inverted  U.  It  is  adorned  with  an 
elaborate  knot  on  one  side  and  a  rosette  on  the  other  side,  together  with  small 
scrolls.  The  right  end  terminates  in  the  form  we  have  seen  on  the  head-dress  of 
the  Corn  god  and  which  represents  the  growing  ear  of  corn.  The  subject  is  then  a 
cornstalk  bent  double,  with  an  ear  of  corn  at  the  end. 

The  second  figure  from  the  right  end  of  the  line  is  probably  god  K,  who  has 
a  mouth  with  fangs  like  god  B  and  a  long  nose  which  turns  upward  and,  in  this 
case,  terminates  in  a  flower.  We  have  already  said  that  these  divinities  are  closely 
associated  not  only  in  appearance  but  in  attributes  and  may  represent  different 
phases  of  the  same  god.  Schellhas2  argues  that  god  K  in  the  codices  has  an 


1  Peabody  Museum  Papers,  vol.  iv,  No.  I,  pp.  24-25. 


2  Ibid.,  pp.  34-35. 


LOTHROP 


. 


_ 


Frescoes  in  the  West  Passage,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum.  Height:  8  feet. 


57 


astronomical  significance  from  his  association  with  god  C,  but  his  primary  function 
is  evidently  in  connection  with  rain  and  therefore  agricultural.  On  the  frescoes  his 
association  with  the  Corn  god  and  corn  symbols  emphasizes  his  connection  with 
agriculture. 

The  third  figure  from  the  right  end  of  row  A  is  a  young  goddess  who  kneels 
in  front  of  a  metate  (mealing-stone)  and  holds  a  mano  (hand-stone)  in  one  hand. 
On  her  head  is  an  elaborate  head-dress  with  plumes,  and  she  wears  a  sleeveless 
blouse  and  a  skirt  reaching  to  the  ankles.  The  metate  rests  on  an  animal  head, 
a  form  which  is  not  common  in  the  Maya  area,  but  is  typical  of  the  Pacific  coast 
of  Nicaragua  and  northern  Costa  Rica.  This  figure  at  present  is  without  a  parallel 
in  Maya  art.  In  three  instances  in  Mexican  codices,1  however,  there  is  repre- 


Fjg.  28. — jar  surmounted  by  Kan  signs  and  ear  of  corn,  Madrid  codex;  b,  dancing  figures, 

Dresden  codex;  c,  dancing  figures,  Codex  Vaticanus  B. 

sented  an  old  woman  in  a  white  robe  who  kneels  in  front  of  a  metate  and  holds  a 
mano  broken  in  two  pieces,  from  which  blood  flows.  She  is  associated  in  these 
pictures  with  Xochiquetzal,  the  young  and  beautiful  goddess  of  flowers  and  crafts¬ 
manship,  the  wife  of  Tlaloc,  whom  Tezcatlipica  stole  and  placed  in  the  ninth 
heaven  as  goddess  of  Love.  Seler  calls  this  old  woman  Ilametecutli,  the  wife  of 
Iztac  Mixcoatl,  who  dwelt  with  her  husband  in  the  seven  caves,  the  land  of  the 
forefathers.  The  Mayan  figure  does  not  agree  too  exactly  with  the  Mexican 
divinity,  for  she  is  evidently  not  old.  However,  although  her  mano  is  not  broken, 
the  tassels  on  it  are  not  unlike  the  spurts  of  blood  which  issue  from  the  Mexican 
mano. 

In  the  center  of  row  A  are  two  intertwined  serpents.  The  head  on  the  right, 
which  is  the  better  preserved,  exhibits  wide-open  jaws  with  two  flowers  growing 
from  the  snout  in  the  same  manner  as  on  the  figure  of  god  K  at  the  right  end  of  the 
panel.  Above  the  junction  of  the  jaws  rise  two  loops,  which  probably  represent 
incense,  and  above  are  twin  ears  of  corn.  The  whole  design  may  denote  the 
serpent,  the  symbol  of  rain,  bearing  offering  to  the  Corn  god. 

To  the  left  of  the  twin  serpents  is  a  deep  jar  with  lumps  of  incense  in  which 
is  planted  an  ear  of  corn.  This  is  a  subject  of  which  we  have  already  seen  half- 
effaced  examples  on  the  walls  of  the  Castillo  and  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God. 


1  Codex  Borgia,  9;  Codex  Vaticanus  B,  28,  94. 


58 


Figure  28,  <2,  is  from  the  Madrid  codex  and  brings  out  several  additional  points. 
The  base  on  which  the  vessel  rests  is  clearly  a  coiled  serpent,  a  conventionalized 
portrayal  of  which  is  seen  in  the  Tulum  example.  The  top  of  the  jar  exhibits 
in  the  manuscripts  two  Kan  signs,  the  hieroglyph  of  the  day  associated  with  the 
Corn  god,  which  have  retained  their  outline  but  have  lost  their  significance  in  the 
mural  paintings.  The  general  conception  here  evidently  is  incense,  for  actual 
masses  of  incense  thus  piled  up  may  be  seen  in  museums,  and  the  subject  is  some¬ 
times  modeled  in  clay.  (See  plate  10,  m.)  The  ear  of  corn  in  both  mural  paintings 
and  manuscripts  is  usually  given  an  eye  and  assumes  the  likeness  of  a  serpent 
head,  thus  again  emphasizing  the  symbolical  association  of  corn  and  rain.  There  is 
obviously  a  close  connection  between  the  jar  containing  offerings  and  the  standard 
carried  by  many  of  the  deities.  This  “standard”  may  be  a  jar  with  pendent 
streamers  and  the  usual  offerings  on  top.  The  fact  that  there  is  usually  a  kin-sign 
towards  the  bottom  of  the  standard,  however,  makes  it  appear  that  more  than  a 
jar  is  involved. 

The  deity  at  the  left  end  of  row  A  apparently  is  one  who  does  not  exist  in  the 
codices.  She  may  be  designated  the  Knot  goddess,  from  the  fact  that  her  head¬ 
dress  embodies  a  knot  (which  also  occurs  with  other  divinities)  and  because  her 
nose  consists  of  a  series  of  loops.  The  symbolical  significance  of  the  knot  is  far 
from  clear,  although  it  is  evidently  connected  with  the  serpent  and  therefore  prob¬ 
ably  with  rain.  At  Tulum  knots  are  seen  in  great  numbers  on  the  panel-borders 
of  the  frescoes  on  this  building  and  elsewhere.  They  also  occur  on  bowls  of  offerings. 
In  stucco  relief  they  are  associated  with  the  Diving  god  (structure  25,  plate  23). 
In  the  Madrid  codex  they  are  seen  with  god  C,  the  North  Star  god,  and  god  D, 
probably  Itzamna,  and  also  with  offerings.  On  the  Santa  Rita  frescoes,  knots 
occur  on  head-dresses  and  loin-cloths,  and  there  is  an  interesting  example  of  ser¬ 
pents  in  the  form  of  a  loose  knot  which  covers  a  figure  of  god  D.  On  the  Old 
Empire  stelae,  knots  are  seen  on  head-dresses  and  loin-cloths  at  practically  every 
site. 

Panel  B,  the  panel  directly  under  the  lower  molding  on  the  left  half  of  the 
facade,  is  outlined  by  the  conventionalized  bodies  of  serpents  from  which  grow 
small  plants.  Mr.  O.  F.  Cook,  of  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  has  kindly  in¬ 
formed  me  that  the  pods  are  either  hymenia ,  or  cacao  beans,  and  the  small  plant 
at  the  lower  right-hand  corner  of  the  panel  is  probably  dorstenia ,  a  member  of  the 
fig  family.  The  deity  at  the  right  end  of  the  panel  apparently  is  god  B,  who  wears 
a  head-dress  formed  of  god  K’s  head  crowned  by  the  corn-symbol.  Both  these 
heads  somewhat  resemble  the  Mexican  Eecatl,  God  of  the  Winds.  In  front  of  the 
deity  is  a  staff  which  he  holds  in  his  hands.  Across  his  body  is  a  slanting  object 
marked  as  a  constellation-band,  which  resembles  the  Ceremonial  Bar  of  Old 
Empire  sculpture,  though  it  can  not  be  positively  identified,  owing  to  the  obliteration 
of  the  ends.  Beneath  this  and  behind  the  heels  of  the  deity  is  a  glyph,  probably 
a  tun  (360-day  period)  sign. 

The  central  figure  in  panel  B  is  god  D,  who  wears  a  head-dress  of  incense 
capped  by  two  ears  of  corn.  He  bears  in  his  hand  the  standard  of  which  we  have 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  8 


Frescoes  in  the  north  passage,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum 

Height:  21  inches. 


aiwasin  w  uw>>*  lw**’ 


59 


seen  several  examples.  Facing  this  figure  is  another  representation  of  god  D,  who 
here  wears  a  different  head-dress  and  costume.  In  his  hand  he  carries  a  serpent,  a 
subject  which  is  also  found  in  the  codices. 

Row  C  is  divided  into  two  panels  by  the  serpent-bodies.  The  right-hand  panel 
is  occupied  by  a  female  figure  who  carries  in  either  arm  a  miniature  figure  of  god  B. 
She  wears  the  usual  woman’s  costume  and  an  elaborate  head-dress.  The  two  like¬ 
nesses  of  god  B  carried  in  the  hands  recall  the  fact  that  the  Manikin  Scepter  carried 
in  the  hands  in  Old  Empire  sculpture  always  has  a  face  or  image  of  this  long-nosed 
deity  at  the  upper  end. 

At  the  right  end  of  the  left-hand  panel  in  row  C  is  a  jar  with  incense  surmounted 
by  corn.  The  central  figure,  which  I  can  not  identify  with  certainty,  carries  a 
standard  in  his  hand  and  wears  a  head-dress  containing  the  usual  corn  symbol. 
The  most  interesting  feature,  however,  is  that  the  god  apparently  sits  on  the  back 
of  an  animal.  It  will  be  recalled  that  at  Palenque  several  stucco  bas-reliefs  show 
personages  seated  on  thrones  formed  of  a  tiger  head  and  legs.  This  animal  on  the 
frescoes,  however,  does  not  appear  to  be  a  stationary  throne,  but  actually  seems  to 
be  alive  and  walking. 

In  the  lower  left-hand  corner  is  a  small  picture  of  a  lady  who  dances  with 
flowers  in  her  hand.  She  probably  is  a  human  being  who  dances  for  the  delectation 
of  or  in  devotion  to  the  gods.  In  Old  Empire  sculpture  two  dancing  figures  are  seen 
on  the  badly  battered  stela  at  Motul  de  San  Jose  and  there  is  a  single  dancer  on 
stela  C  at  Quirigua.  They  are  also  found  in  the  Dresden,  Ferjervary-Mayer, 
Vaticanus  B,  and  Borgia  codices  and  on  the  frescoes  at  Santa  Rita  (fig.  28,  b  and  c). 
The  subject  is  one  of  which  we  have  little  actual  knowledge  apart  from  these 
various  representations,  but  from  the  presence  of  dancing  figures  in  religious  scenes 
it  is  evident  that  the  dance  was  considered  an  important  adjunct  of  religion. 

Row  D  contains  two  figures  facing  a  jar  which  contains  incense  and  flowers. 
The  right-hand  figure  is  an  old  woman  with  a  face  which  resembles  that  of  god  D. 
Her  head-dress  contains  a  corn-symbol  and  a  knife,  and  in  her  hands  she  carries  a 
serpent-headed  staff.  God  D  once  appears  as  a  woman  in  the  Dresden  codex. 
The  divinity  at  the  left  end  of  the  panel  is  too  faintly  represented  to  be  recognized. 
The  bottom  panels  (E  and  J)  both  contained  representations  of  fishes.  This 
arrangement  is  also  found  on  the  Santa  Rita  frescoes  and  in  certain  Mexican 
codices. 

Turning  now  to  the  right  half  of  plate  8,  we  find  that  there  is  little  left  of  the 
painting  which  once  adorned  this  part  of  the  wall.  The  general  arrangement, 
however,  seems  to  have  been  like  that  of  the  other  side,  although  the  details  were 
obviously  different.  The  upper  panel  (F)  runs  between  the  moldings  and  corre¬ 
sponds  to  panel  A  on  the  other  side.  The  figure  at  the  left  end  is  probably  god  K, 
although  this  can  not  be  stated  with  any  certainty.  Whoever  it  may  be,  he  bears 
in  his  hands  a  Manikin  Scepter  capped  by  an  image  of  the  Corn  god.  The  signif¬ 
icance  of  this  object  we  have  already  discussed.  The  next  figure  is  a  serene-faced 
goddess  who  turns,  with  outstretched  hands,  towards  the  deity  with  the  Manikin 
Scepter.  The  third  divinity  from  the  left  end  of  the  panel  is  probably  god  B  wearing 


60 


a  head-dress  with  corn-symbols  and  apparently  carrying  a  shield  and  spear.  The 
rest  of  the  painting  is  too  badly  weathered  to  be  intelligible,  except  that  near  the 
right  end  is  a  seated  figure  which  may  be  god  D. 

The  next  panel  below  (G)  contains  two  indistinct  divinities,  both  of  which  are 
seated  on  a  throne.  The  one  on  the  right  holds  a  staff  in  his  hands.  The  next  two 


3 


Fig.  29. — Fragments  of  incense-burners,  eastern  Yucatan  or 
British  Honduras.  Height  of  c,  18.5  inches.  Courtesy  of 
Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  University. 

panels  are  totally  blank,  save  for  a  fragmentary  imprint  of  the  Red  Hand,  other 
examples  of  which  are  seen  in  this  building.  The  significance  of  this  widely  dis¬ 
tributed  symbol  still  remains  a  mystery,  in  spite  of  much  speculation.  At  the 
bottom  row  (J)  is  part  of  a  fish  with  a  grotesque  head,  behind  which  rises  a  fin. 

The  central  column  in  the  doorway  is  adorned  at  the  top  with  a  constellation- 
band,  which  may  be  compared  to  that  on  the  outer  wall  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Diving  God;  beneath  is  a  panel  containing  a  deity  with  a  head-dress  which  em¬ 
bodies  a  serpent-head  and  the  corn-symbol.  The  sides  of  the  doorway  also  are 
decorated  with  mural  paintings,  as  may  be  seen  in  figure  71,  b. 

The  north  corridor  is  painted  for  only  a  short  distance  on  the  inner  wall,  just 
around  the  corner  from  the  left  edge  of  plate  7.  One  of  the  figures1  from  the  north 

1  This  figure  was  copied  by  Dr.  Gann  in  1916  and  by  Mr.  Morley  in  1922.  The  two  copies  differed  considerably  and 
the  writer  has  reconciled  them  as  much  as  possible  with  the  aid  of  a  photograph. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  9 


‘JK- 


yv  fi-,r 


,  f,  stucco  ornaments,  Tulum.  g,j,  part  of  an  incense-burner,  Mugeres  Island,  h,  i,  k,  /,  pottery 
fragments,  Cozumel.  Length  of  a,  7  inches;  length  of  g,  11  inches.  Courtesy  of  Peabody 
Museum,  Harvard  University. 


A 


.jnveikot  of  illwois  nun 


61 


corridor  is  shown  on  plate  8.  The  wall  here  is  again  divided  into  panels  by 
conventionalized  intertwined  serpents.  The  deity  represented  is  clearly  the  Corn 
god  with  his  usual  head-dress,  who  bears  in  his  hands  a  standard  topped  by  the 
corn-symbol. 


Fig.  30. — Pottery  fragments,  Tulum.  Length  of  in,  6  inches. 
Courtesy  of  Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  University. 


The  south  corridor  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  contained  mural  paintings 
along  the  entire  north  wall.  A  large  part  of  these  could  be  recovered  with  time, 
patience,  and  the  proper  equipment. 

ceramics.  A 

The  most  striking  pottery  remains  from  the  east  coast  are  large  incense-' 
burners.  They  are  made  of  a  coarse,  friable  clay  liberally  mixed  with  sand,  and 
they  vary  in  color  from  light  buff  to  dark  brown,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  pieces 


62 


which  have  come  in  contact  with  salt  water  and  have  turned  dark  red.  In  shape 
these  vessels  were  either  cylindrical  or  cup-shaped,  with  an  annular  base.  They 
vary  in  height  from  a  few  inches  to  over  a  foot.  The  decoration  consists  of  a 
complete  figure  or  a  face  on  the  outer  wall  of  the  vessel.  Of  complete  figures 
no  example  was  found,  but  the  common  form  probably  resembled  the  specimen 
shown  on  figure  29,  c.  A  piece  representing  a  deity  with  the  head  of  a  leaf-nosed 
bat  is  illustrated  on  figure  29,  b.  Other  and  less  complete  pottery  specimens  are 


Fig.  31. — Incense-burners  (?),  vicinity  of  Tulum.  Height  of  central  specimen,  7.5  inches. 
Courtesy  of  the  Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  University. 


shown  on  plates  9  and  10.  Of  these,  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  is  plate  10,  g , 
which  was  found  by  Le  Plongeon  in  front  of  the  chief  temple  on  Mugeres  Island. 
It  is  of  uncommonly  fine  clay  and  finish,  and  the  features  are  modeled  with  consider¬ 
able  feeling  for  the  bony  structure  of  the  skull.  The  teeth  are  filed  into  sharp 
points,  a  custom  which  does  not  appear  to  have  been  universal,  for  other  heads 
exhibit  unmutilated  teeth.  The  legs  illustrated  beneath  this  specimen  were  found 
with  it,  but  the  rest  of  the  figure  was  destroyed  in  the  process  of  excavation.  The 
other  pieces  on  plate  10  all  came  from  Tulum  and  Cozumel  and  are  not  so  well 
executed. 

From  the  ruins  of  Tulum  very  fragmentary  pieces  only  were  secured,  of  which 
a  series  is  given  on  figure  30.  The  bottom  row  is  made  up  of  fragments  of  bodies 
and  limbs,  while  pieces  of  head-dresses  are  seen  above.  Plate  10,  z/,  is  part  of  a 
large  head,  of  which  a  few  pieces  were  picked  up  at  the  foot  of  the  Castillo  stairway. 
From  the  location  of  these  fragments  and  the  size  of  the  head  it  is  not  improbable 


L0THR0P 


PLATE  to 


,  b ,  heads  found  near  Tulum;  d ,  /z,  Tulum  ruins;  others,  Cozumel.  Length  of  b,  6.5  inches, 
length  of  k,  9  inches.  Courtesy  of  Peabody  Museum,  Harvard  University. 


ggmERSm  OF  ILUHUIS  LtBRABv 


63 


that  this  may  he  part  of  the  chief  idol  of  the  city,  which  had  been  cast  down  the 
Castillo  steps  and  shattered.  Plate  io,  h,  was  found  at  Tulum  in  the  tomb  in  the 
north  end  of  structure  22.  It  is  well  modeled  and  appears  to  have  been  once 
painted  red. 

A  second  and  very  much  coarser  ware  is  represented  by  several  pieces  brought 
to  us  by  the  Tulum  chief  who  dug  them  up  on  his  milpa  some  miles  inland.  Two 
heads  thus  obtained  are  shown  on  plate  io,  a  and  b .  The  former  is  marked  by  a 
high,  thin  nose,  projecting  lips,  and  a  head-dress  formed  by  a  jaguar’s  head.  The 
other  head  (b)  is  of  finer  clay  and  was  once  covered  all  over  with  plaster,  traces  of 
which  still  remain. 

Figure  31  shows  a  different  type,  on  the  sides  of  which  faces  are  indicated  by 
ribbons  of  clay,  which,  in  two  cases,  are  capped  by  a  projecting  animal  head.  An 
example  of  similar  form  from  Cozumel  is  given  on  figure  29,  b.  The  projection 
below  the  mouth  of  this  piece  represents  lumps  of  incense,  of  which  a  mass  carried 
in  the  hand  is  seen  on  plate  10,  m. 

The  class  of  pottery  described  is  found  on  the  coast-line  of  the  Maya  habitat 
from  Tabasco  around  Yucatan  and  across  Honduras  as  far  as  Tela.  The  forms 
illustrated  were  probably  all  made  not  long  before  the  Conquest,  and  the  pieces  on 
figure  31  may  well  be  post-Conquest,  for  they  closely  resemble  the  handiwork  of  the 
modern  Lacandones.  However,  incense-burners  of  associated  type  were  made 
by  the  Maya  of  the  Old  Empire,  probably  as  early  as  9.14.0.0.0  (452  A.D.).  We 
are  dealing,  then,  with  a  specialized  class  of  pottery  which  has  a  long  history  and 
which  further  study  should  enable  us  to  arrange  chronologically. 

Ceramic  remains  other  than  incense-burners  have  not  been  found  in  large 
numbers  on  the  east  coast.  Figure  30  shows  fragments  of  vessels  with  tripod  legs 
{a  and  d ),  globular  jars  with  flaring  rims  ( e ),  and  large  jars  with  loop  handles  ( h ). 
All  these  are  made  of  the  same  coarse  clay  as  the  incense-burners,  but  with  less 
admixture  of  sand.  Figure  30,  jy  is  a  piece  of  a  jar  with  a  red  slip.  The  incised 
design  was  applied  after  firing. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TULUM. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  SITE. 

The  most  imposing  ruins  yet  discovered  on  the  east  coast  ol  Yucatan  and 
the  largest  in  extent  are  those  of  Tulum.  In  the  time  of  its  gentility  it  must  indeed 
have  been  an  impressive  sight,  and  one  can  well  believe  that  the  city  of  Juan  Diaz, 
than  which  “Seville  would  not  have  seemed  more  considerable  nor  better,”  was 
none  other  than  Tulum.  It  is  indeed  strange  that  the  Spanish  records  are  silent 
on  the  conquest  of  this  fortress,  but  such  is  the  case.  In  fact,  there  is  only  one 
record  of  a  city  on  the  coast  which  might  be  Tulum,  written  between  the  days  of 
Juan  Diaz  (1518)  and  the  American  traveler  Stephens  (1842).  This  account  was 
written  in  1579  by  Juan  de  Reigosa,  the  tutor  of  Juan  Martin,  the  son  of  the  Con¬ 
quistador  Diego  Martin,  to  describe  the  native  town  of  Zama  (^ama),  and  is 
preserved  in  the  Relaciones  de  Yucatan d  This  town  was  on  the  coast,  20  leagues 
from  Valladolid,  14  leagues  from  Ascencion  Bay,  2  leagues  from  the  Muyil  River, 
and  18  leagues  from  Cozumel.  Tulum  is  the  only  major  town  in  the  area  thus 
delimited,  and  the  identification  is  made  more  certain  by  the  fact  that  a  dry  stone 
wall  is  said  to  have  surrounded  Zama.  The  full  account  runs: 

“The  said  town  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of  eighteen  and  a  half  degrees  (north 
latitude)  on  the  coast  which  runs  north  east-south  west,  and  the  sea  beats  on  the  dry 
stone  wall  and  edifices  of  the  said  town  erected  in  ancient  times,  and  there  are  several 
lofty  hills  which  the  Indians  made  by  hand  which  they  call  cue  in  the  tongue  of  the 
Indians.  Among  them  is  one  which  is  larger  than  all  the  others  and  made  in  the  manner 
of  a  fortress  with  corners  of  well  worked  stone,  and  the  natives  who  are  (still)  alive  can 
give  no  explanation  as  to  who  built  them  nor  for  what  reason.  From  this  port  to  the 
island  of  Cozumel  is  eighteen  leagues  ....  It  is  fourteen  leagues  from  the  said  town 
and  port  of  Cama  to  the  south  west  to  a  part  which  is  called  Ascension  Bay.” 

The  discoverer  of  the  ruins  of  Tulum  in  the  nineteenth  century  was  Juan  Jose 
Galvez.  He  published  no  account  of  his  journey,  but  his  impressions  are  preserved 
in  a  letter  written  by  Juan  Pio  Perez  in  1840,  which  reads: 

“Old  don  Juan  Jose  Galvez  .  .  .  .,  a  person  who  visited  this  coast  of  the  Ascencion 
(hay),  asserts  that  between  this  port  and  the  cape  (Catoche)  there  are  two  ancient  cities 
called  Tulun  (sic)  and  Tancah:  the  former  has  a  wall  running  to  the  sea  a  quarter  of  a 
league  or  more  in  length  and  eight  yards  wide  with  a  ridge  or  kind  of  coffer  in  which 
it  terminates,  all  made  without  mortar  and  utilizing  the  stones  from  the  coast  which 
have  been  squared  by  nature,  for  the  sake  of  greater  strength  and  durability;  and  this  is 
true  of  all  the  other  sides  except  one.  This  place  has  marvellous  and  numerous  features, 
it  includes  statues  within  it  and  other  curiosities,  which  all  go  to  show  that  this  was  once 
an  important  city  and  strong  for  defense  against  any  attacks  it  might  suffer  from  the 
sea.  The  (ruins)  of  Tancah  are  not  so  interesting  and  they  are  not  unusual.  .  .  .” 

Although  discovered  previously  in  recent  times  by  Galvez,  the  ruins  of  Tulum 
were  first  made  known  to  the  world  by  the  writings  of  Stephens  and  the  drawings  of 
Catherwood,  who  visited  the  city  together  in  the  year  1842.  Soon  afterwards  the 


1  P.  196  et  seq. 

64 


65 


terrible  War  of  the  Castes  broke  out  and  further  investigation  of  the  site  was  im¬ 
possible  until  the  last  decade.  This  complete  isolation  has  invested  Tulum  with  a 
romantic  atmosphere  such  as  is  enjoyed  by  no  other  Maya  city. 

In  1895,  Mr.  W.  H.  Holmes,  on  the  yacht  Ituna ,  approached  the  ruins  closely 
enough  to  make  two  excellent  sketches,  but  was  deterred  from  landing  for  fear  of 
attack  by  the  Indians.  In  1911,  Messrs.  George  P.  Howe  and  William  D.  Parmelee 
reached  Tulum  in  a  small  sailing-vessel  from  Cozumel  and  spent  parts  of  two  days 
there,  finally  leaving  in  face  of  what  appeared  to  be  an  impending  attack  by  the 
Indians.  In  1913,  S.  G.  Morley  and  J.  L.  Nusbaum  reached  the  city  by  the  route 
followed  by  Howe  and  spent  a  few  hours  ashore.  The  first  Carnegie  Institution 
expedition  to  Tulum  sailed  from  Belize  in  1916  and  was  followed  by  a  second  party 
in  1918.  In  1920,  Prince  William  of  Sweden  spent  some  time  at  the  ruins,  and  in 
1922  a  final  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  completed  the  surveys  which  had 
been  started  previously. 

The  aboriginal  name  of  the  ruins  was  Zama,  according  to  Reigosa.  It  probably 
is  a  corrupt  form  of  Zamal,  “tomorrow,”  an  apparently  unsuitable  name  for  a  city. 
However,  in  several  compounds  it  is  given  the  meaning  of  “dawn,”  a  conception 
entirely  appropriate  for  a  city  built  on  a  cliff  which  faces  the  dawn,  the  east,  and  the 
rising  sun.  Zama  was,  then,  the  “  City  of  the  Dawn.” 

The  word  tulum  means  “Wall,  fortress,  entrenchment,”  according  to  Pio 
Perez,1  Brasseur  de  Bourbourg,2  and  Brinton.3  It  is  not  found  in  the  older 
manuscript  dictionaries,  such  as  the  Motul  or  San  Francisco,  but  in  the  former 
appears  the  word  tulumche  (a  tulum  or  fortress  of  che  or  wood),  meaning  a  palisaded 
inclosure.  Another  Maya  word  for  fortress  is  paa.  “The  distinction  between  paa 
and  tulum”  writes  Brinton,  “appears  to  be  that  tulum  is  an  inclosure  surrounded 
by  a  defensive  wall,  and  this  wall  itself;  while  paa  is  a  castle,  or,  in  Maya  land,  a 
mound  or  pyramid  with  buildings  on  it  erected  for  purposes  of  defense.”  The  word 
tulum  is  admirably  applicable  to  the  ruins  we  shall  describe. 

A  word  must  be  said  in  regard  to  the  spelling  of  this  name.  “Tuloom,”  used  by 
Stephens,  is  evidently  an  anglicized  spelling  of  the  word  as  pronounced  in  Maya. 
“Tuluum,”  preferred  by  Mr.  S.  G.  Morley,  is  based  on  an  etymology  we  do  not 
accept  and  is  found  in  none  of  the  many  dictionaries  which  have  been  consulted.4 
The  spelling  Tulum  is  accepted  by  Maudslay,  Joyce,  Gann,  and  the  writer. 

GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  OF  TULUM. 

The  ruins  of  Tulum  stand  on  the  summit  of  a  limestone  cliff  some  40  feet  high, 
which  faces  on  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  land  slopes  gently  away  from  the  cliff 
and  then  rises  again,  forming  a  ridge  about  600  feet  from  the  shore.  Beyond  this 
ridge  the  land  falls  again,  forming  an  undulating  plain  which  extends  an  unknown 
distance  into  the  interior. 

1  Diccionario  de  la  lengua  Maya.  Merida  de  Yucatan,  1866-1877. 

2  See  vocabularies  in  Brasseur’s  edition  of  de  Landa. 

3 1882,  vocabulary. 

4  Morley  (1917)  writes:  “The  spelling  ‘Tuluum’  is  to  be  preferred  on  etymological  grounds  ....  Luum  in  Maya 
means  ‘land’  or  ‘earth’;  and  tu  ‘in’  or  ‘to’  with  the  possessive  pronoun  of  the  third  person.  Tuluum  may  mean  ‘in  his 
or  its  land,’  a  not  inappropriate  name  for  a  coast  city.”  As  stated  above,  this  word  does  not  occur  in  any  of  the  dictionaries, 
the  nearest  approach  to  it  being  tulluum ,  “full  of  mud,”  in  the  Pio  Perez. 


66 


The  central  portion  of  the  ruin  is  inclosed  by  a  great  wall  about  15  or  20  feet 
in  height  and  thickness.  This  wall  follows  the  ridge  we  have  described  for  1,266 
feet  and  is  connected  with  the  cliff  by  arms  roughly  550  feet  long,  thus  forming  a 
rectangle.  From  the  southwestern  angle  of  the  Great  Wall  a  lower  wall  runs 
diagonally  to  the  sea,  forming  a  triangular  inclosure.  The  Great  Wall  is  pierced 
by  five  narrow  gateways,  and  small  temples  stand  on  its  inland  corners. 

On  the  summit  of  the  cliff,  midway  between  the  arms  of  the  Great  Wall, 
stands  the  principal  edifice  of  the  city,  the  Castillo,  which  is  visible  for  many  miles 
at  sea  and  is  in  fact  a  landmark  on  all  charts  of  the  Yucatan  coast.  The  relation 
of  the  Castillo  to  the  shore-line  is  seen  on  plate  n,  where  b  is  a  view  looking  north¬ 
ward  from  the  Castillo  itself.  In  the  middle  distance  is  a  small  temple  (No.  45) 
on  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  Beyond  is  the  north  arm  of  the  Great  Wall  and  the  roof 
of  the  Cenote  House,  behind  which  is  a  hill  sloping  sharply  to  the  sea,  concealing 


I 


Fig.  32. — Cross-sections  of  the  ruins  of  Tulum. 


temples  55  and  56.  Still  farther  away  is  a  sandy  beach  running  out  to  a  point, 
beyond  which  are  the  ruins  of  Tancah.  The  other  picture  (a)  shows  the  southern 
view  from  temple  45.  Across  the  cove  is  the  Castillo  and  on  the  coast  beyond  is 
temple  54.  The  Great  Wall  is  concealed  by  trees;  it  approaches  the  cliff  just 
beyond  the  point  below  temple  54.  In  the  distance  is  a  sandy  beach  which  runs 
down  to  Tulum  Play  a.  A  view  of  the  cliff  and  beach  behind  the  Castillo  is  seen 
on  plate  12,  a. 

The  entire  area  described  may  well  have  been  included  within  Tulum  in  the 
days  of  its  glory.  Not  that  there  were  contiguous  houses  for  this  extent  of  5  or  6 
miles,  but  there  probably  were  no  large  open  spaces  anywhere.  The  distance  that 
the  city  extended  from  the  sea  was  slight,  perhaps  not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
To  Juan  Diaz,  then,  sailing  along  the  foot  of  the  cliff  and  unable  to  see  inland, 
the  city  appeared  larger  than  in  reality  it  was. 

Returning  to  our  consideration  of  the  Castillo,  this  three-tiered  edifice  faces 
the  land  (plate  15),  exposing  to  the  sea  the  fortress-like  face  seen  on  plate  12,  b.  It 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  11 


54  13  4  5  16  21  20  25 


Tulum.  A,  looking  south  from  temple  45;  B,  looking  north  from  the  Castillo. 


MSXSM  Of  UBRW’ 


67 


is  flanked  by  two  small  temples,  with  which  it  forms  one  side  of  a  court  which  we 
have  called  the  Inner  Inclosure.  On  the  other  sides  of  the  Inner  Inclosure  are 
seven  smaller  buildings  connected  by  a  wall.  This  wall  is  pierced  by  three  passages, 
two  of  which  were  vaulted.  In  addition,  there  were  two  narrow  gaps  between 
buildings,  making  a  total  of  five  openings.  The  other  buildings  which  with  the 
Castillo  form  the  Inner  Inclosure  are  all  small  and  with  a  single  exception  consist 
of  one  room.  One  of  them,  however  (plate  20,  b),  is  among  the  best-preserved  struc¬ 
tures  in  the  city  and  is  still  decorated  with  frescoes.  In  another  (temple  9)  were 
found  the  fragments  of  stela  1. 

The  massive  bulk  of  the  Great  Wall  proclaims  that  its  function  was  largely 
military.  The  Inner  Inclosure,  however,  appears  to  have  been  a  religious  compound, 
for  the  character  of  the  buildings  which  form  it  is  apparently  religious  and  the 
nature  of  the  walls  is  such  that  they  would  not  well  serve  for  defense.  It  is  to  be 
noted,  however,  that  the  walls  are  heavier  on  the  north,  where  they  overlook  a 
small  beach  and  cove,  offering  admirable  protection  for  repelling  a  landing  force. 

Fifty  yards  west  of  the  Inner  Inclosure  one  crosses  a  long  street  which  runs 
north  and  south  between  gateways  in  the  corresponding  arms  of  the  Great  Wall 
(plate  22,  b).  This  was  the  fashionable  street  of  Tulum,  on  which  were  congregated 
the  residences  of  the  nobility.  Here  may  be  seen  five  large  edifices  of  stone,  as  well 
as  many  platform  mounds  on  which  may  have  stood  houses  of  more  perishable 
materials.  Four  of  the  stone  structures  are  of  the  type  known  as  palaces.  Their 
doorways  are  wide  and  divided  by  several  columns.  Within  are  two  long,  narrow 
rooms  with  smaller  rooms  on  one  end.  In  the  center  of  the  back  room  is  a  small 
sanctuary  or  shrine,  showing  that  even  in  his  home  the  Maya  noble  was  unable  to 
escape  the  all-pervading  influence  of  religion.  The  roofs  of  these  buildings  were  of 
wooden  beams  overlain  with  rubble,  and  all  have  fallen,  owing  to  the  decay  of  the 
wood.  The  fifth  stone  edifice  (16)  was  originally  a  small  rectangular  temple.  About 
three  sides  of  this  was  built  a  colonnade,  within  which  are  frescoes,  while  a  second 
story  was  built  above. 

In  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  inner  city  is  a  building  known  as  the  Cenote 
House.  Its  foundations  rest  on  a  natural  limestone  arch  which  roofs  over  a  cenote 
or  well,  the  only  water-supply  in  the  center  of  the  city,  to-day  brackish  and  filled 
with  bat-dung.  Near  this  building,  on  the  coast,  is  a  small  temple  (45),  which 
stands  on  a  round  substructure  with  vertical  sides.  Near  by  are  six  small  shrines, 
none  of  them  more  than  4  feet  high. 

In  the  southwest  corner  of  the  city  is  a  small  temple  (54)  with  several  platform 
mounds  in  close  proximity.  The  view  northward  from  this  building  is  shown  on 
plate  12,  a. 

Outside  the  Great  Wall  to  the  north  are  two  small  temples  which  are  visible 
from  the  sea  (57  and  58).  Beyond  the  Great  Wall  in  every  direction  are  traces  of 
low  walls  which  perhaps  once  marked  the  boundaries  of  land.  They  formed  a 
network  wherever  we  went.  To  the  west  the  land  becomes  practically  a  swamp, 
beyond  which  is  tierra  incognita ,  where  dwell  the  present  Tulum  Indians,  who  do 
not  welcome  white  men  in  their  abodes. 


68 


THE  GREAT  WALL. 

The  most  interesting  and  unusual  feature  of  Tulum  is  the  stone  wall  which 
encompasses  the  principal  edifices.  This  wall  forms  three  sides  of  a  rectangle,  the 
fourth  side  of  which  is  the  cliff  overhanging  the  sea.  The  total  length  of  the  wall 
is  2,352  feet.  Its  average  width  is  about  20  feet  and  its  average  height  is  10  to  15 
feet.  A  second  and  smaller  wall,  1,240  feet  long,  11  feet  wide,  and  6  feet  high,  runs 
diagonally  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  Great  Wall  to  the  sea,  inclosing  a 
triangular  space.  The  total  length  of  the  two  walls  is  nearly  3,600  feet. 

Although  traces  of  fortifications  are  not  common  to-day,  it  is  probable  that 
most  Maya  cities  were  fortified  in  the  sixteenth  century.  This  must  have  been  an 
absolute  necessity  in  order  to  survive,  for  all  parts  of  the  Maya  area  were  more  or 
less  embroiled  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  In  the  great  cities  of  the  Guatemalan 
highlands  advantage  was  taken  of  naturally  defended  positions,  which  were  further 
strengthened  by  artificial  means.  Utatlan,  the  Quiche  capital,  was  partly  built  on 
a  level  plain  surrounded  by  deep  barrancas ,  precipitous  ravines  eroded  in  Recent 


Fig.  33. — Northeastern  end  of  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum. 


volcanic  ash.  The  only  access  to  this  “island”  was  a  narrow  neck  of  land  which 
was  stoutly  fortified  and  is  said  to  have  been  artificial.  Alvarado  wrote  to  Cortes: 
“This  city  is  very  strong,  and  there  are  only  two  ways  of  entering  it,  one  over 
thirty  stone  steps,  and  the  other  by  a  causeway  made  by  hand.” 

The  Cakchiquel  capital,  Iximche,  was  built  on  a  long  tongue  of  land  projecting 
into  a  deep  barranca.  The  sides  of  this  peninsula  were  terraced  for  defensive 
purposes.  The  neck  connecting  it  with  the  main  plateau  is  cut  by  a  deep  ditch, 
above  which  stand  walls,  to-day  covered  with  vegetation,  but  once  probably  faced 
with  cut  stone.  The  ruins  of  Tenampua,  in  the  Comayagua  Valley  in  central 
Honduras,  stand  on  a  large  plateau  which  Squier  estimated  to  be  1,600  feet  above 
the  valley-floor.  In  most  places  this  plateau  ends  in  an  abrupt  drop,  but  where 
there  are  ridges  running  to  neighboring  hills  the  inhabitants  erected  walls  of  stone. 
According  to  an  unpublished  survey  made  in  1917  by  the  writer  for  the  Peabody 
Museum  of  Harvard  University,  the  principal  stretches  of  wall  are  1,020,  500,  and 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  12 


Tulum.  A,  looking  north  from  temple  54.  Tulum.  B,  east  front  of  the  Castillo. 


mmm  bf  ilubois  mw 


69 


150  feet  long.  These  walls,  like  the  Tulum  wall,  were  made  of  stones  without 
mortar  and,  although  not  so  massive,  they  afforded  equal,  if  not  greater,  protection, 
owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  Squier  called  Tenampua  the  most  impregnable 
aboriginal  stronghold  in  America,  an  opinion  in  which  the  writer  concurs. 

In  Yucatan  all  the  important  cities  seem  to  have  been  fortified.  Traces  of 
the  stone  wall  surrounding  Mayapan  were  still  visible  at  the  time  of  Stephens’s  visit.1 
At  Chacchob  there  is  said  to  have  been  a  stone  wall  2,400  yards  long  and  2  to  6 
yards  high,  which  outlined  a  space  shaped  like  a  Greek  amphitheater  and  inclosed 
many  ruined  buildings.2  Tulum  and  Xelha  are  the  only  other  sites  in  Yucatan 
now  known  with  stone  walls.  Judging  from  the  accounts  of  the  Conquest,  however, 
many  others  must  have  existed. 

A  perhaps  more  usual  form  of  defense  than  the  stone  wall  was  the  wooden 
palisade.  This  is  constantly  mentioned  in  the  early  descriptions  of  the  country,  and 


Fig.  34. — Cross-sections  of  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum:  a-c ,  north  arm;  d ,  e ,  south  arm; 

f-jy  west  arm. 


the  native  word,  tulumche,  is  preserved  in  the  sixteenth  century  Motul  dictionary. 
These  barricades  may  have  been  strengthened  by  loose  stone  piled  around  the  base. 
An  attack  on  a  walled  city  and  the  towers  and  ladders  used  for  this  purpose  are 
represented  in  one  of  the  scenes  of  the  frescoes  on  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers  at 
Chichen  Itza. 

Outside  the  Maya  area  fortifications  are  widely  distributed  throughout  the 
Americas.  Several  examples  in  Mexico  are  known,  of  which  the  fortified  hilltop 
at  Mitla  is  a  conspicuous  example.  In  the  southwestern  United  States  the  large 
pueblo  of  Pecos  is  surrounded  by  a  dry  stone  wall,  and  numerous  earthworks  of  a 
military  nature  have  been  noted  in  the  Mississippi  basin.  Similarly  fortified  sites 
occur  throughout  the  Andean  region  in  South  America,  of  which  the  best  known  is 
Sacsahuaman,  near  Cuzco,  in  Peru,  probably  at  once  the  most  massive  and  most 
scientifically  constructed  fortress  in  the  New  World. 


1 1843,  vol.  I,  p.  131. 


2  Un  Curioso  in  El  Registro  Yucateco,  vol.  I,  p.  206. 


70 


The  Tulum  wall  is  constructed  of  unshaped  stones  without  mortar  and  has 
crumbled  greatly,  as  would  be  expected,  under  the  influence  of  tropical  vegetation. 
The  profiles  of  the  north  and  south  arms,  figure  32,  top  and  bottom,  show  that  the 
height  varies  with  the  nature  of  the  ground  to  be  defended.  The  thickness  also 
changes  with  the  nature  of  the  ground  (plate  25).  Cross-sections  (fig.  38)  reveal 
the  fact  that  there  are  several  periods  of  construction.  The  oldest  period  now 
forms  the  inner  face  of  the  wall  and  the  broad  esplanade  above  it;  the  outer  face 
of  the  wall  and  the  parapet  are  of  later  construction  and  at  present  are  from  2  to  5 


Fig.  35. — Plan  of  northeast  passage  in  the  Great  Wall, 

Tulum. 


feet  higher  than  the  esplanade.  Plate  13  shows:  (a)  the  exterior  side  of  the  wall, 
looking  east  from  the  northwest  passage;  (b)  a  view  of  the  crest,  looking  south 
from  the  northwest  corner.  Both  these  photographs  were  taken  after  extensive 
clearing  of  the  unusually  prickly  vegetation,  which  was  necessary  in  order  to 
obtain  accurate  measurements. 

The  north  arm  of  the  wall  is  529  feet  long.  The  seaward  or  eastern  end 
terminates  abruptly  some  40  feet  from  the  edge  of  the  cliff,  as  may  be  seen  in 
figure  33.  We  could  discover  no  evidence  that  any  part  of  the  wall  has  fallen 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  13 


mem  of  uuwis  ubomw 

' 


71 


into  the  sea  and  therefore  believe  that  this  gap  and  the  similar  opening  at  the  end 
ol  the  south  wall  were  closed  with  material  of  a  perishable  nature.  The  statement 
ol  Galvez,  that  the  wall  terminated  in  a  “ridge  or  coffer,”  probably  applies  to 
the  crest  of  the  wall,  but  may  describe  some  construction  at  the  ends  which  had 
been  obliterated  before  our  visit.  Cross-sections  in  the  north  arm  were  taken  in 
three  places  (fig.  34).  The  first  (a)  is  at  the  crest  of  the  ridge  overlooking  the  sea; 
it  represents  the  only  part  of  the  wall  rising  in  three  tiers.  The  typical  two- 
tiered  section  is  seen  at  the  two  gateways  (^,  c ). 

The  northeastern  gateway  (fig.  35)  is  the  most  interesting  in  the  city.  Enter¬ 
ing  from  the  outside,  one  passes  through  a  narrow  doorway  with  wooden  lintels 
into  a  small  rectangular  room.  On  the  west  side  of  this  room  is  an  even  narrower 
doorway  giving  access  to  a  second  room,  now  completely  blocked  by  masonry, 
owing  to  the  collapse  of  the  wooden  roof-timbers.  In  the  south  wall  of  the  first 


Fig.  36.- — South  side  of  the  northwest  passage  in  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum. 


room  is  a  door  leading  to  the  inner  face  of  the  wall  by  means  of  a  stone-lined  passage 
15  feet  long,  which  emerges  near  the  so-called  Cenote  House.  A  photograph  of 
these  two  rooms,  almost  filled  with  crumbling  masonry,  is  shown  on  plate  13,  c. 
In  the  lower  right-hand  corner  are  the  roof-beams  over  the  exterior  door.  At 
the  left  is  the  stone-capped  passage  to  the  inner  side.  In  the  lower  center  is 
the  first  room  described,  beyond  which  is  a  small  gap  representing  the  doorway 
to  the  second  room.  The  purpose  of  the  two  rooms  in  the  thickness  of  the  walls 
is  open  to  speculation.  Probably  they  served  the  guardians  of  the  wall  for  storage 
of  arms.  They  may  also  be  of  a  defensive  nature,  as  they  would  afford  a  vantage 
for  cross-fire  against  those  attempting  to  force  the  passage.  A  small  room  was 
noted  in  the  Great  Wall  of  Xelha,  and  others  may  have  existed  at  Tulum  which 
have  been  obliterated  through  collapse  of  the  roof-beams. 


72 


The  northwest  passage  (figs.  34,  c,  and  36)  is  a  vaulted  opening  running  directly 
through  the  wall.  The  wall  is  24  feet  thick  at  this  point  and  11  feet  high.  The 
door-lintel  is  a  little  over  4  feet  high,  while  the  interior  is  7  feet  high.  This  neces¬ 
sitates  stooping  when  entering,  while  a  defender  has  room  to  strike  an  overhead 
blow.  The  southwestern  passage,  which  stands  at  the  other  end  of  the  long  main 
street  from  the  one  just  described,  has  a  similar  opening. 

On  the  summit  of  the  Great  Wall,  at  the  northwest  corner,  is  a  small  temple, 
one  of  the  pair  which  Stephens  described  as  guard-houses  but  which  probably 
should  be  called  temples.  This  edifice  is  reached  by  a  flight  of  steps  on  the  inner 
side  of  the  wall.  These  were  the  only  stairs  observed  in  this  arm  of  the  wall, 
although  others  probably  once  existed.  The  temple  is  a  rectangular  building 
with  doors  on  the  south,  east,  and  west  and  an  altar  against  the  north  interior 


Fig.  37. — Temple  55  and  cross-section  of  Fig.  38. — Cross-section  of  west  wall  and  temple  56, 

north  wall,  Tulum.  Tulum. 


wall.  It  was  painted  with  frescoes  on  the  outside  and  has  a  simple  geometric 
frieze  on  the  upper  facade.  It  is  more  fully  described  below. 

The  west  wall,  which  roughly  parallels  the  sea,  is  1,266  feet  long.  It  follows 
a  ridge  which  runs  north  and  south  about  200  yards  from  the  coast.  Plate  13, 13, 
shows  the  crest  as  seen  extending  southward  from  the  northwest  corner.  Beyond 
what  can  be  seen  here,  the  wall  bulges  to  the  west  and  then  returns  to  the  original 
line.  On  the  inside  of  this  bulge  are  three  niches  which  contain  dilapidated  stair¬ 
ways.  At  the  southern  end  of  the  bulge  is  the  only  gate  in  the  west  wall,  the 
opening  of  which  is  partly  blocked  by  fallen  masonry,  but  which  apparently  has 
no  special  features.  This  opening  is  a  little  south  of  west  from  the  Castillo.  A 
cross-section  of  the  city  from  the  gate  to  the  south  end  of  the  Castillo  is  shown  on 
figure  32.  The  cross-sections  of  the  west  wall  (fig.  34,  f-j)  are  self-explanatory. 

The  southern  half  of  the  west  wall  has  four  staircases  built  in  the  interior 
side  of  the  wall.  Three  of  these  stairs  are  built  in  pairs  which  come  down  to  a 
common  landing,  as  shown  in  figure  39. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  14 


The  Great  Wall,  Tulum.  A,  southwest  passage;  B,  southeast  end. 


gmoanr  of  laisois  ubbmh 


-1'* 


73 


At  the  southwest  corner  is  another  temple  (56)  corresponding  to  the  one 
already  described  (55),  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  the  absence  of  a  frieze. 
It  has  doors  on  the  south,  east,  and  west  and  an  altar  against  the  north  interior 
wall.  This  arrangement  made  it  impossible  to  view  the  long  arm  of  the  wall  from 
the  interior  of  the  building  and  furnished  one  of  the  reasons  why  we  believe  that 
these  buildings  were  temples  rather  than  guard-towers.  A  cross-section  of  the 
wall  in  figure  39  shows  the  elevation  of  this  temple  and  also  brings  out  the  several 
periods  of  construction  embraced  in  the  wall.  Figure  38,  A  is  probably  the 
original  wall;  it  is  roughly  6  feet  high  and  14  feet  broad.  On  the  outside  of  this 
was  built  a  second  and  higher  wall  (B),  which  formed  a  parapet  for  wall  A.  An¬ 
other  construction,  apparently  independent  of  the  others,  is  the  platform  on  which 


Fig.  39.- — Stairway  (restored)  in  the  Great  Wall,  Tulum. 


the  temple  stands  (C).  Finally,  on  the  outside  face  of  wall  B  there  was  built 
still  another  wall,  D,  now  badly  ruined,  which  probably  served  to  prevent  the  other 
walls  from  bulging  beneath  the  weight  of  the  superimposed  temple.  The  com¬ 
plexity  of  the  construction  at  this  corner  is  increased  by  the  fact  that  it  is  here 
that  the  Lesser  Wall  (of  which  we  shall  speak  presently)  joins  the  Great  Wall. 

The  south  arm  of  the  Great  Wall  is  of  more  massive  construction  than  the 
other  sides,  because  in  places  the  exterior  faces  rising  ground.  A  hundred  and 
thirty  feet  from  the  west  end  is  a  shallow  niche  of  unknown  use.  Just  before  the 
western  gateway  itself  is  an  offset  which  makes  possible  a  cross-fire  at  the  entrance. 
The  passage  itself  is  like  the  corresponding  one  in  the  north  wall,  except  that  on 
the  inside  it  is  prolonged  beyond  the  inner  line  of  the  wall.  A  photograph  of  this 
projection  is  found  on  plate  14,  a.  Flalf-way  between  the  two  gates  is  a  second  offset 


74 


similar  to  that  just  described.  The  eastern  gateway  has  fallen.  It  appears  to  have 
been  prolonged  beyond  the  face  of  the  wall  on  both  the  inside  and  outside.  On  the 
west  side  of  it  are  three  double  stairways  and  on  the  east  are  two  more.  The  former 
are  sunk  in  the  wall,  while  the  latter  rest  on  buttresses  built  against  the  inner  face 
of  the  wall. 

The  crest  of  the  wall  overlooking  the  sea  is  illustrated  in  plate  14,  b.  The 
vertical  construction  is  the  inner  or  the  original  wall,  to  the  right  of  which  is  the 
debris  of  the  outer  wall  or  parapet.  Like  the  north  wall,  the  south  wall  terminates 
40  feet  from  the  sea,  and  again  there  is  no  evidence  that  it  once  extended  farther. 
Why  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  erected  this  great  mass  of  masonry  and  left  two 
wide  openings  is  a  mystery  to  be  explained,  perhaps,  by  the  discovery  of  what 
Galvez  meant  by  the  “ridge  or  coffer”  in  which  he  said  the  wall  terminated  at  the 
time  of  his  visit. 


Fig.  40.— Cross-sections  of  Lesser  Wall,  Tulum: 
a ,  north  end;  b ,  central  portion. 


THE  LESSER  WALL. 

The  Lesser  Wall  commences  at  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  Great  Wall, 
the  general  line  of  which  it  continues  for  some  distance.  It  then  bends  slightly 
to  the  west  and  then  to  the  east,  from 
which  point  it  diagonally  approaches  the 
coast.  The  east  end  is  90  feet  from  the 
sea,  so  that  we  are  again  left  cause  for 
wonder  why  these  huge  walls  were  erected 
and  large  gaps  left  at  the  seaward  ends. 

The  total  length  is  1,240  feet. 

The  construction  of  this  wall  is  like 
that  of  the  Great  Wall,  except  that  it  is 
much  smaller  and  the  parapet  is  either  absent  or  but  slightly  developed.  The 
only  opening  is  about  100  feet  from  the  east  end.  It  appears  to  have  been  made 
recently  to  accommodate  the  trail  which  runs  north  and  south  along  the  coast. 
Three  hundred  feet  from  the  sea  there  is  a  group  of  platform  mounds  on  the  south 
side  of  the  wall,  which  were  not  plotted  on  the  map. 

DETAILED  DESCRIPTION  OF  BUILDINGS. 

77/c  Castillo  ( Structure  No.  /). — The  highest  and  most  imposing  edifice  at 
Tulum  was  named  by  Stephens  the  Castillo,  or  “castle.”  It  stands  on  the  summit 
of  the  precipitous  cliff,  40  feet  above  the  sea,  where  it  is  so  clearly  visible  against 
the  monotonous  coast-line  that  it  has  been  made  a  landmark  on  all  charts.  This 
building  we  believe  to  be  the  “very  large  tower”  seen  by  Grijalva  and  described 
by  Juan  Diaz  in  1517  (plate  12,  b).  The  principal  fagade  of  the  Castillo  (plate 
15)  faces  away  from  the  sea  and  forms  part  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  inner  inclo¬ 
sure.  Rooms  may  be  seen  at  three  levels,  but  these,  as  usual  in  Maya  buildings, 
are  not  directly  superimposed,  and  they  appear  to  have  been  erected  at  different 
periods.  For  a  clear  understanding  of  the  edifice,  we  must  follow  these  changes 
and  additions  in  detail. 


75 


The  oldest  part  of  the  Castillo  now  forms  the  wings  which  flank  the  main 
stairway.  These  wings  were  once  the  ends  of  a  large  palace,  like  21  or  25  at 
Tulum,  which  stood  on  a  terraced  platform  10  feet  high.  It  contained  the  usual 
two  long,  narrow  rooms  with  columns  in  the  broad  entrance  and  a  row  of  columns 
in  the  long  axis  of  the  outer  room. 

The  inner  room  was  reached  by 
three  doors  and  probably  contained 
the  customary  sanctuary.  Another 
period  is  represented  by  the  third  or 
upper  range.  It  is  erected  on  a 
solid  mass  of  masonry  which  was 
built  across  the  central  portion  of 
the  palace  and  reinforced  by  a 
buttress  on  the  east  and  a  stairway 
on  the  west.  The  rooms  which 
flank  the  solid  portion  are  con¬ 
nected  by  a  half-vaulted  passage 
(fig.  1 5)  running  along  the  east  wall 
of  the  former  outer  room.  The 
nature  of  the  original  palace  and 
the  blocked-in  portion  are  seen  in 
figure  41,  a.  On  the  platform  thus 
erected  was  built  a  two-room  temple 
which  forms  the  upper  range  shown 
in  figure  42.  The  third  and  fourth 
phases  of  construction  are  repre¬ 
sented  by  two  small  chambers  built 
on  the  ground-level  against  the  sub¬ 
structure  of  the  original  palace  on 
either  side  of  the  stairway  (fig.  41,  c). 

These  two  buildings,  stylistically 
different  from  each  other,  could  not 
well  have  been  set  up  at  the  same 
time. 

Composite  buildings  of  this  Fic.  4i, -Plans  of  three  levels  of  the  Castillo, 
general  type  are  found  in  several  Tulum. 

other  Yucatec  cities,  notably  Santa 

Rosa  Xlabpak,  Labna,  Kabah,  Chichen  Itza,  and  El  Meco.  In  each  case  they 
represent  a  series  of  additions  to  an  older  building  and  a  striving  for  greater  height 
and  more  imposing  effect.  The  Tulum  Castillo,  however,  is  of  unusual  interest, 
owing  to  the  radical  changes  of  style  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  building. 
The  original  palace  and  room  g  had  flat  ceilings,  a  two-member  molding,  and 
round  columns  with  square  capitals.  Room  h  is  vaulted  and  shows  every  evidence 


76 


bOl 


Fig.  42. — East  and  west  elevations  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum. 


9 ?  10 _ 20 _ 30  Ft. 

Fig.  43. — Cross-section  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum. 


'IS 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  15 


N. 


HELIOTYPE  CO.  BOSTON 


HMMffV  »  VJrn  uafc- 


0 


J 


I 


77 


of  early  construction.  The  third  range,  rooms  a  and  is  vaulted,  has  serpent- 
columns,  and  has  different  moldings  from  the  rest  of  the  building.  While  the 
stylistic  criteria  for  dating  are  discussed  later,  we  shall  say  here  that  room  h  is 
apparently  the  oldest  part  of  the  edifice;  room  gy  on  the  lowest  level,  and  rooms 
c,  d,  e ,  and /,  on  the  second  range,  were  next  constructed;  rooms  a  and  on  the 
third  range,  represent  the  final  period  of  expansion. 

The  main  stairway  of  the  Castillo,  which  dominates  the  whole  fagade  (plate 
15),  is  30  feet  wide  and  25  feet  high,  ft  leads  to  a 
terrace  in  front  of  the  upper  range,  which  commands  a 
splendid  view  of  the  whole  city  and  of  the  coast  to  the 
north  and  south.  In  the  center  of  the  terrace  is  a  small 
upright  stone  which  apparently  served  as  a  sacrificial 
stone  on  which  victims  were  extended  while  the  priests 
tore  out  their  hearts  in  the  sight  of  the  populace  in  the 
inner  inclosure  below. 

The  upper  range  (plate  17,  a)  is  really  a  two-room 
temple  standing  on  the  foundation  we  have  described. 

The  entrance  is  divided  by  two  serpent-columns  (fig. 

11),  to-day  badly  battered.  In  a  general  way  they  con¬ 
form  to  the  well-known  examples  at  Chichen  Itza,  but 
they  are  much  less  massive  and  do  not  exhibit  the  same 
wealth  of  detail  in  painted  relief.  Of  the  heads  at  the 
base  of  the  columns,  nothing  remains  except  the  masonry 
platforms  on  which  they  stood.  The  shafts  are  intact 
and  still  bear  evidence  of  feather  markings  in  paint.  The 
capital,  which  represented  the  tail  of  the  serpent,  is 
partly  broken  away,  but  a  fallen  fragment  disclosed  the 
customary  rattlesnake  markings.  Above  the  columns  is 
a  long  sunken  panel  over  which  are  two  rectangular  mold¬ 
ings.  Above  the  three  doors  are  sunken  niches,  each  of 
which  contained  a  stucco  figure  in  relief.  The  central 
figure  (plate  3,  a)  is  the  Diving  god,  a  winged  deity  flying 
downward  with  his  feet  over  his  head,  a  very  common 
subject  in  stucco  relief  at  Tulum.  The  northern  figure 
(plate  2,  c)  is  standing  erect,  but  the  southern  relief 
Several  fragments  found  at  the  foot  of  the  stairway  (plate  9,  <2,  b)  may  have  come 
from  it.  On  the  two  corners  of  the  west  fagade  are  grotesque  faces  with  project¬ 
ing  snouts.  The  faces  themselves,  fringed  with  feathers,  are  placed  between  the 
moldings,  and  tall  head-plumes  appear  on  the  wall  above  the  upper  moldings.  A 
similar  treatment  of  the  corners  is  seen  on  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  (fig.  24). 

The  outer  chamber  (fig.  41,^)  is  24  feet  long,  6.5  feet  wide,  and  13  feet  high. 
On  each  side  of  the  door  are  stone  rings  to  support  a  curtain.  Over  one  column 
the  butt  of  a  conch-shell  protrudes.  At  each  end  of  the  room  are  low  benches 


Fig.  44. — Grotesque  face, 
third  range  of  the 
Castillo,  Tulum. 


has  totally  disappeared. 


78 


which  served  as  altars.  The  vault  ol  this  and  the  next  room  is  shaped  like  the 
neck  of  a  bottle.  The  doorway  leading  to  the  inner  room  is  illustrated  on  plate 
^ ,  a.  It  has  a  sunken  panel  painted  a  brilliant  turquoise  blue,  with  a  geometrical 
figure  in  the  center.  The  north  half  of  the  room  was  painted  red  and  the  south 
half  blue. 

The  inner  room  (fig.  46)  is  a  few  inches  longer  than  room  a  and  8  feet  wide.  At 
the  corners  of  the  door  are  four  stone  rings  tor  hanging  a  curtain.  Running  across 
the  back  and  ends  of  the  chamber  is  a  bench  on  which  the  present-day  Indians 


have  placed  a  small  cross  (fig.  10),  to  which  they  pray.  Above  the  bench  are 
four  windows.  The  two  in  the  east  wall  are  splayed  on  the  under  side  and  com¬ 
mand  a  magnificent  view  of  the  sea,  some  70  feet  below. 

The  two  wings  forming  the  second  range  are  identical  in  plan.  They  are 
reached  by  narrow  stairs  adjoining  the  balustrades  of  the  main  stairway.  The 
bench  which  surrounds  the  building  is  so  high  that  steps  must  have  been  necessary 
to  reach  the  doorways.  These  were  not  actually  observed,  owing  to  the  debris 
of  the  fallen  roof  and  walls,  but  are  shown  on  the  elevation  (fig.  42).  The  doorways 
each  had  two  columns  with  square  capitals.  In  each  case  the  inner  column  rests 
against  the  masonry  mass  which  supports  the  upper  range,  while  the  other  stands 


Fig.  45. — Room  a ,  Castillo,  Tulum. 


Fig.  46. — Room  <£,  Castillo,  Tulum. 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  16 


Castillo,  Tulum.  A,  south  side;  B,  north  and  west  fagades. 


imam  of  Illinois  wue. 


79 


in  the  center  of  the  doorway.  From  the  spacing  of  these  columns  it  appears 
that  the  total  number  present  before  the  erection  of  the  third  range  may  have 
been  uneven.  This  is  unusual,  and  it  is  possible  that  they  were  slightly  irregularly 
placed  and  the  number  was  even. 

Room  c,  the  outer  room  in  the  north  wing,  has  poorly  preserved  frescoes  on  the 
east,  west,  and  north  walls  and  also  crude  stucco  heads,  hasty  sketches  of  which 
we  illustrate  on  figure  47.  The  south  wall  discloses  a  narrow  terrace  or  ledge  on 
which  the  base  of  the  roof  rested.  In  the  center  of  this  ledge  is  a  large  square 
hole  which  formed  the  socket  for  the  huge  timber  which  ran  from  end  to  end  of 
the  room  across  the  tops  of  two  columns.  Smaller  beams,  the  sockets  for  which 
are  now  visible  in  the  east  and  west  walls,  were  placed  on  top  of  the  main  timber, 
and  above  were  small  poles  placed  almost  in  contact  with  each  other.  Over  this 
wooden  foundation  was  a  cap  of  cement  and  stone  about  2  feet  in  thickness. 


Fig.  47. — Stucco  heads  in  room  c,  Castillo,  Tulum. 


Room  d  is  entered  by  a  door  in  the  east  wall  of  room  c.  The  wooden  lintel  is 
set  back  to  form  a  sunken  panel  on  each  side  of  the  wall  between  the  two  chambers. 
Room  d  is  long  and  narrow  and  without  features  of  interest  save  a  window  over¬ 
looking  the  sea. 

Between  rooms  c  and  e  is  a  35-foot  passageway  running  through  the  masonry 
mass  which  supports  the  third  range.  This  passage  is  a  half-vault  built  against 
what  was  once  the  east  wall  of  the  outer  room  of  the  original  palace.  The  half¬ 
vault  (fig.  1 5)  is  shaped  like  a  bottle-neck  and  is  similar  to  those  in  the  third  range 
above  it.  In  the  center  of  the  east  side  of  the  passage  is  a  door  which  opens  into 
the  old  blocked-up  back  room.  Treasure-seekers,  probably  members  of  the  Mexi¬ 
can  military  occupation  of  1900,  have  dug  into  the  masonry  for  10  or  15  feet  to 
the  north  of  the  door  and  also  upwards  nearly  to  the  floor  of  the  room  above. 
The  portion  excavated  is  directly  beneath  the  walls  separating  rooms  a  and 
and  this  wall  is  settling  in  a  manner  which  promises  the  speedy  collapse  of  the 
third  range.  We  discovered  this  after  living  in  the  rooms  in  question  for  nearly 
two  weeks  and  were  much  perturbed  by  perceiving  that  the  massive  stone  lintel 
between  rooms  a  and  b  had  cracked  in  two,  apparently  overnight. 

The  east  wall  of  the  passage  is  covered  with  at  least  nine  layers  of  stucco,  of 
which  four  or  five  were  painted  with  frescoes.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Maya 


80 


renewed  their  plastering  either  at  the  end  of  each  katun  (20-year  period)  or  52- 
year  cycle.  The  52-year  period  does  not  seem  possible,  because  it  gives  results 
at  variance  with  other  data,  but  the  theory  of  katunic  renewals  may  be  applicable 
to  most  east-coast  sites.  In  this  case  we  may  perhaps  assume  that  the  plaster 
was  not  renewed  after  the  wall  in  question  no  longer  faced  the  major  room  of  the 
building,  but  was  inclosed  in  a  narrow  passage.  The  plaster  count  means,  then, 
that  this  wall  of  the  passage  and  the  room  on  which  it  opens  are  180  or  more  years 
older  than  the  third  range.  As  this  part  of  the  building  probably  dates  from  just 
after  the  Toltec  invasion  or  the  first  part  of  the  thirteenth  century,  the  third  range 
may  have  been  erected  during  the  fifteenth  century. 

The  frescoes  on  the  outer  layer  of  plaster  were  covered  with  mold  and  dirt. 
At  the  top  appears  to  have  been  a  glyphic  inscription  and  below  was  a  row  of 
elaborately  dressed  figures  stylistically  resembling  those  on  the  next  layer  of  plaster. 
This  stratum  was  uncovered  for  several  feet  to  the  north  of  the  door  to  the  blocked- 
up  room.  Tracings  of  several  figures  are  shown  on  plate  4.  At  the  top  of  the 
passage  ran  a  constellation-band,  frcm  which  depended  a  series  of  deities;  those 
seen  on  plate  4,  <£,  adjoined  the  door.  The  right-hand  figure  is  a  plumed  serpent- 
head.  The  central  figure  is  god  B,  identified  as  Kukulcan,  the  Feathered  Ser¬ 
pent,  or  Chac,  the  Rain  deity.  In  one  hand  he  holds  a  purse  and  in  the  other 
the  plumed  serpent  seen  to  the  right  of  his  head.  The  third  figure  is  an  alligator, 
the  Aztec  cipactli ,  from  whom  flow  torrents  of  water.  This  whole  series  apparently 
has  to  do  with  ceremonies  for  rain. 

Beneath  the  constellation-band  with  its  pendant  deities  is  a  series  of  very 
large  figures.  The  example  shown  on  plate  4,  <2,  is  not  directly  beneath  but  a 
little  to  the  right  of  those  on  b.  The  plaster  at  the  head  and  shoulders  has  been 
chipped  away,  but  the  rest  of  the  painting  is  fairly  distinct.  It  represents  a  walk¬ 
ing  priest  or  noble  in  elaborate  regalia.  The  head  is  crowned  with  feathers,  and 
a  cloak  of  feathers  falls  to  the  feet,  which  are  incased  in  elaborate  sandals.  In 
his  hands  he  carries  a  Manikin  Scepter.  This  device  is  a  curved  staff  with  an 
animal  figure  on  top  and  a  serpent-head  at  the  bottom.  Its  development  may 
be  traced  throughout  the  greater  part  of  Maya  art.  This,  however,  is  one  of  the 
most  recent  examples.  At  the  heel  of  the  striding  figure  is  a  part  of  the  body  of 
a  serpent,  a  tiny  head  and  a  hand  holding  a  staff,  and  over  it  a  bowl  of  offerings 
similar  to  those  seen  in  the  codices  and  in  the  frescoes  at  Tulum.  Above  this  is 
a  serpent-head  and  the  plumes  of  another  personage.  Finally,  at  the  very  top, 
over  the  head  of  the  principal  being,  is  part  of  a  scorpion,  evidently  one  of  the 
figures  attached  to  the  constellation-band. 

The  south  end  of  the  passage  opens  into  room  <?,  the  frescoes  continuing  along 
the  east,  south,  and  west  walls.  These  walls  have  five  small  stucco  heads  on  them, 
of  which  the  best  preserved  are  seen  on  figure  48.  Stephens  also  noted  on  the 
central  columns  similar  heads,  which  have  disappeared.  He  describes  one  resem¬ 
bling  a  rabbit,  which  may  have  been  like  our  c.  The  roof  of  this  room  appears 
to  have  been  similar  to  that  of  room  e.  In  the  east  wall  a  door  with  wooden 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  17 


Castillo,  Tulum.  A,  third  range;  B,  east  facade 


UWIWDttt*  ttfc  ilUUUii 


* 


81 


lintels  and  recessed  panels  opens  into  room  /.  This  is  long  and  narrow,  and  a 
window  in  the  east  wall  is  the  only  noteworthy  feature. 

Room  g  is  at  the  north  side  of  the  stairway  to  the  north  wing.,  It  stands 
on  a  terrace  i  foot  high.  The  ceiling  has  fallen,  but  appears  to  have  been  flat. 
The  type  of  molding  was  probably  the  same  as  that  on  the  second  range,  but 


Fig.  48. — Stucco  heads  in  room  e,  Castillo,  Tulum. 

this  is  not  certain,  for  though  a  few  stones  have  not  fallen  they  are  considerably 
twisted  out  of  place.  Room  h  stands  in  front  of  the  south  wing.  It  is  really  a 
miniature  temple  with  vaulted  ceilings,  windows  in  the  north,  south,  and  east 
walls,  and  an  altar  against  the  back  wall.  It  is  just  large  enough  to  hold  a  cot 
bed,  and  one  of  our  party  slept  here  in  1922  and  found  it  crowded  quarters. 


Fig.  49. — Room  /?,  Castillo,  Tulum. 


The  back  of  the  Castillo  (plate  17,  b)  is  thirty-odd  feet  from  the  edge  of  the 
sea.  The  fortress-like  facade,  with  its  large  central  buttress,  well  answers  the 
description  of  Juan  Diaz  in  1517.  The  central  buttress  (plate  12,  b)  is  covered 
with  projecting  pegs  of  stone,  on  which  plaster  bas-reliefs  were  hung. 

Structure  No.  2. — The  Castillo  is  flanked  by  two  small  temples,  almost  identical 
with  each  other  in  plan,  which,  with  the  Castillo,  form  the  east  side  of  the  Inner 
Inclosure.  Both  stand  on  low  platforms  which  run  into  the  Castillo  substructure. 


82 


The  front  elevations  are  shown  in  figure  51?  ^  and  c%  Structure  2,  the  northern 
edifice,  is  more  badly  ruined  than  its  counterpart,  structure  3,  for  the  collapse 
of  the  beam-and-rubble  roof  has  obliterated  the  interior  columns  and  the  rear 
wall,  as  can  be  seen  on  plate  16.  The  ground  plan  of  this  building  is  shown  on 
figure  54.  The  single  room  measures  18.5  by  9  feet.  There  appears  to  have 
been  no  step  surrounding  the  exterior  wall,  a  decidedly  unusual  omission  in  an 
east-coast  building.  In  front  of  the  door  is  a  low  rectangular  platform. 

Structure  No.  3. — At  the  south  of  the  Castillo  stands  structure  3.  Like 
structure  2,  it  contains  a  single  room.  I  he  flat  roof  has  fallen,  but  the  walls  and 
the  interior  columns  are  intact.  The  columns  have  square  capitals  and  probably 


Fig.  50. — Structures  3,  9,  and  10  from  the  south  wing  of  the  Castillo,  Tulum. 


supported  the  roof  in  the  manner  shown  on  figure  51.  The  southern  column 

was  decorated  in  1916  by  a  stucco  head  in  low  relief  (fig.  52),  which  had  been 

broken  off  between  that  date  and  1922  by  persons  unknown.  In  the  north,  south, 
and  east  walls  there  are  small  windows.  The  outer  wall  is  surrounded  by  a  step 
in  contrast  to  structure  2. 

In  front  of  the  doorway  three  steps  descend  to  the  level  of  the  court.  Just 
above  the  steps  is  a  small  altar  consisting  of  a  stone  drum  1.5  feet  long  and  9 
inches  in  diameter.  Buried  in  the  debris  along  the  edge  of  the  terrace,  between 
the  stairs  of  structure  3  and  the  corner  of  the  plaza,  we  found  the  crude  stone 

statue  shown  in  plate  2,  a.  It  is  about  3  feet  high.  What  now  remains  is  no 

more  than  a  stone  base  over  which  had  been  built  a  carefully  modeled  figure  in 
plaster.  This  figure  apparently  was  kneeling,  with  one  arm  at  the  side  and  the 


83 


other  holding  a  large  circular  object  at  the  breast.  In  aboriginal  times  it  undoubt¬ 
edly  was  the  idol  of  either  structure  3  or  the  adjacent  Temple  of  the  Initial  Series 
and  was  cast  down  and  battered  by  the  Spaniards,  as  was  every  other  sculpture 
at  Tulum. 


Fig.  51. — a,  c ,  structure  3;  b,  structure  2.  Fig.  52. — Stucco  head  in 

structure  3. 


Structure  No.  4. — This  building,  with  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  structure 
6,  and  a  wall,  forms  the  north  side  of  the  inclosure.  It  stands  on  an  L-shaped 
platform  shared  by  structure  2  and  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  from  each  of 
which  it  is  separated  by  narrow  gaps.  The  gap  on  the  west  was  blocked  up  by 
a  mass  of  masonry  erected  after  the  completion  of  the  buildings. 


5  4-7  2  I 


Fig.  53. — Northeast  corner  of  the  Inner  Inclosure,  showing  the  Castillo,  structures  2  and 

4,  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  and  structure  7. 


The  outer  doorway  has  a  lintel  of  three  wooden  beams.  Inside  the  door 
on  the  east  two  conch-shells  are  set  in  the  wall  and  on  the  west  there  is  one. 
There  are  windows  in  the  north  and  south  walls.  The  ceiling  of  beams  and  rubble 
has  fallen.  At  the  eastern  end  of  the  room  is  a  door  leading  to  a  small  sanctuary. 


84 


This  door  is  surmounted  by  a  sunken  panel  in  which  are  traces  of  frescoes  painted  in 
red,  green,  and  black.  Over  the  panel  a  molding  consisting  of  a  triangular  and 
a  rectangular  member  runs  across  the  end  of  the  room  about  9  inches  below  the 
former  level  of  the  ceiling.  The  lintel  is  composed  of  a  stone  and  four  small 
wooden  beams.  The  sanctuary  is  5  feet  long  by  2.5  feet  wide,  and  even  in  this 
diminutive  room  the  flat  roof  has  fallen. 

Normally,  the  sanctuary  is  a  small  room 
built  against  the  center  of  the  back  wall  of  a 
!  larger  room,  an  arrangement  of  which  there  are 
many  examples  on  the  east  coast.  The  present 
case,  however,  is  the  only  one  in  which  the  end  of 
a  room  is  blocked  off  for  this  purpose. 

The  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  ( Structure  No. 
5). — This  small  temple  is  one  of  the  most  pictur¬ 
esque  and  perfect  in  the  city.  The  substructure 
is  an  older  building  27  feet  long,  20  feet  wide,  and 
9.5  feet  high,  which  has  been  blocked  in  solid. 
This  older  building  has  a  two-member  molding 
like  the  others  which  flank  the  Castillo.  On  the 


Iug.  54.- — Ground-plans  of  structures  Fig.  55. — Cross-section  and  elevation  of 

2,  4,  and  6,  and  leinplc  of  the  structure  4,  Tulum. 

Diving  God  (structure  5),  Tulum. 

i  1 


south  side  it  had  two  doors  separated  by  a  masonry  pier  which  can  be  seen  on 
plate  18,  a.  After  the  blocking-in  of  the  original  edifice  a  flight  of  stairs  was  built 
against  the  west  side  and  a  small  temple  was  built  on  the  east  end.  This  temple 
faces  west  and  fronts  on  a  platform  consisting  of  the  roof  of  the  older  construc¬ 
tion.  It  is  this  upper  and  more  recent  building  which  we  shall  describe  in  detail. 

The  most  striking  features  of  the  new  temple  are  the  outward  slope  of  the 
walls,  the  curved  upper  zone,  and  the  fact  that  the  upper  and  lower  zones  lie  in 
different  planes.  The  outward  slope  of  the  walls  was  carefully  measured  and  is 
shown  on  the  accompanying  elevation.  That  it  is  not  exaggerated  is  attested  by 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  18 


Femple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum.  A,  south  facade;  B,  west  facade. 


... 


( 


JIW0IS1N  Of  ILLtuw 


.  V  i  .  '  j/s 


85 


the  photograph  on  plate  18,  b.  This  feature  is,  of  course,  not  uncommon  on  the 
east  coast,  but  the  example  under  discussion  is  the  most  pronounced  yet  found. 
The  upper  zone,  it  will  be  seen,  is  not  flat,  but  curves  outward  towards  the  top 
in  such  fashion  as  to  increase  the  effect  produced  by  the  sloping  lower  zone.  It 
is  a  curious  fact  that  the  base  of  the  upper  zone  is  set  back  a  few  inches  from  the 
plane  of  the  lower  zone.  The  sides  of  the  doorway  also  slope  at  the  same  angle 
as  the  lower  zone,  but  in  the  opposite  direction,  so  that  the  top  of  the  doorway 
is  narrower  than  the  bottom.  Above  the  doorway  is  the  usual  sunken  panel, 
above  which  is  a  very  heavy  molding  decorated  with  stucco  geometric  ornaments 


5;.*..,  10  15  Ft. 

■i-i-i - 1_ I 


Fig.  5 6. — Cross-section  and  elevation  of  Temple  of  the  Diving  God,  Tulum. 

in  low  relief  (plate  1 8,  b).  Over  the  door  in  the  upper  zone  is  a  niche  which  cuts 
through  the  upper  member  of  the  molding.  This  niche  contains  the  figure  from 
which  the  temple  takes  its  name,  a  winged  deity  represented  in  the  act  of  flying 
downward  (fig.  22).  The  god  has  wings  on  his  arms  from  shoulder  to  elbow 
and  also  a  broad  tail  on  which  is  painted  a  conventionalized  feather  pattern. 
The  wrists  and  ankles  are  adorned  with  heavy  rings,  while  on  the  head  is  an 
elaborate  crown.  Two  long  tassels  hang  from  the  left  wrist,  and  clasped  in  the 
hands  is  a  spherical  object. 

The  lower  zone,  on  each  side  of  the  doorway,  was  once  decorated  with  frescoes. 
Those  to  the  south  of  the  door  have  weathered  away,  but  to  the  north  there  remain 
the  figures  reproduced  on  plate  6.  The  subject  is  a  procession  of  deities  carrying 
offerings  and  ceremonial  standards.  These  gods  are  divided  into  three  rows  by 
the  intertwined  bodies  of  highly  conventionalized  serpents.  A  similar  subject 
was  painted  on  the  north  wall  of  the  building,  but  so  much  plaster  has  peeled  off 
that  only  two  figures  can  now  be  discovered  (fig.  27). 

The  interior  contains  but  one  room.  It  measures  a  little  more  than  9  by  1 1 
feet.  Across  the  ends  of  the  room  are  benches  like  those  in  room  a  of  the  Castillo. 
The  back  wall  is  covered  with  frescoes.  These  consist  of  five  nearly  obliterated 


86 


figures  covered  by  the  arched  body  of  a  two-headed  serpent.  The  painting  on 
the  lower  part  of  the  north  end  of  the  room  is  shown  on  plate  5,  b.  It  will  be 
seen  that  this  differs  in  the  use  of  colors  and  in  subject-matter  from  the  frescoes 
on  the  exterior  walls. 

Structure  No.  6. — In  front  of  the  steps  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  there 
was  formerly  a  small  shrine.  This  was  standing  in  1916,  but  between  that  time 
and  1922  it  had  been  crushed  by  a  falling  tree.  It  measured  5.5  feet  square  and 
4  feet  high.  On  the  south  was  a  doorway  with  a  sunken  panel  above  it.  1  here 
was  a  molding  consisting  of  one  rectangular  member. 


Fig.  57. — Structure  7,  Tulum.  Fig.  58. — Structure  7,  Tulum. 


Structure  No.  7. — In  front  of  room  g  of  the  Castillo  is  a  large  shrine;  in  fact, 
probably  the  largest  edifice  which  belongs  in  that  class  of  building.  It  is  10  feet 
square  and  7  feet  high  and  it  has  two  rectangular  moldings.  The  four  doorways, 
which  slope  inward  towards  the  top,  are  capped  by  sunken  panels.  The  interior 
is  vaulted  and  6  feet  high.  It  is  not  possible  to  stand  erect,  however,  for  there 
is  an  altar  2.5  feet  square  and  1  foot  high  in  the  center  of  the  floor. 

Structure  No.  8. — Directly  in  line  with  the  stairway  of  the  Castillo  is  a  plat¬ 
form  mound  27  feet  square  and  9  feet  high.  Unlike  most  such  mounds,  it  exhibits 
a  rectangular  molding.  On  the  east  and  west  sides  there  are  stairways  flanked 
by  balustrades.  This  mound  belongs  to  a  specialized  class  of  platform  mound 
which  was  commonly  placed  in  front  of  the  chief  temple  of  an  east-coast  city. 
We  believe  that  structure  8,  unlike  most  platform  mounds  at  Tulum,  had  no  heavy 
construction  on  the  summit  and  that  it  was  used  primarily  to  stage  religious 
spectacles  in  sight  of  the  populace. 

The  Teinple  of  the  Initial  Series  ( Structure  No.  cj). — -This  temple  takes  its  name 
from  the  fact  that  on  the  floor  the  fragments  of  stela  1  were  discovered  by  Stephens. 


^  ^  5  10  15  Ft. 


Fig.  59. — Plan  and  elevation  of 
structure  8,  Tulum. 


Fig.  60. — Ground-plans  of  structure  3,  Temple  of 
Initial  Series  (structure  9),  Tulum. 


Fig.  61. — Stucco  relief,  Tem¬ 
ple  of  Initial  Series,  Tulum. 


0  5  10  Ft. 

I I I 1 1 1 - 1 

Fig.  62. — Elevation  and  cross-section,  Temple  of 
Initial  Series,  Tulum. 


88 


It  stands  at  the  southeastern  corner  of  the  inner  inclosure,  between  structures  3 
and  io,  to  each  of  which  it  is  joined  by  a  wall.  The  principal  fagade,  which  faces 
north,  is  decorated  by  two  moldings  and  a  stucco  figure  in  low  relief  on  the  east 
side  of  the  door  (fig.  61).  Over  the  door,  just  above  the  upper  molding,  is  a  mod¬ 
eled  leg  which  evidently  belonged  to  a 
statue  seated  on  the  edge  of  the  roof. 

Examination  of  the  roof  revealed  the 
fact  that  other  statues  had  once  stood 
on  the  corners.  The  position  of  these 
is  suggested  in  figure  62.  The  doorway 
is  capped  by  both  a  stone  and  a  wooden 
lintel. 

The  walls  are  3  feet  thick  and  are 
pierced  by  windows  on  the  east,  west, 
and  south  sides.  Against  the  south 
wall,  opposite  the  door,  is  a  rectangular 
altar.  The  vaulted  ceiling  is  11  feet 
high.  At  two-thirds  of  the  height  of  the 
vault  there  is  a  pair  of  wooden  beams. 

Structure  No.  10. — This  small  palace  occupies  about  one-half  of  the  south 
side  of  the  inner  inclosure.  The  ground  plan  (fig.  67)  discloses  a  single  chamber 
39  feet  long  and  18  feet  wide.  The  flat  ceiling  has  collapsed,  carrying  with  it  the 
south  and  west  walls,  as  well  as  the  interior  and  exterior  columns.  Of  these  there 
appear  to  have  been  four  in  the  center  of  the  room  and  two  in  the  doorway.  The 
elevation  of  the  north  fagade,  restored  from  the  portion  still  standing,  is  seen  in 
figure  64. 


Fig.  63. — North  facade,  Temple  of  Initial 
Series,  Tulum.  . 


0  5  10  15  Ft. 


i  >  - 1  < 

Fig.  64. — Elevation  of  structure  10,  Tulum. 


Structure  No.  //. — This  is  the  only  building  on  the  west  side  of  the  inner 
inclosure.  Three  walls  have  fallen  and  the  east  wall  alone  remains.  The  building 
stood  on  a  platform  built  out  from  the  inclosure-wall,  which  is  here  about  6  feet 
high  on  the  outside  and  2  feet  high  on  the  inside.  The  fallen  west  wall  apparently 
rested  almost  on  the  edge  of  the  inclosure-wall.  The  standing  fagade  is  decorated 
wi  th  two  moldings  and  a  sunken  panel  in  which  are  traces  of  blue  paint.  The 
interior  was  vaulted.  On  either  side  of  the  door  conch-shells  were  sunk  in  the  wall. 

Structure  No.  12. — A  platform  mound,  at  a  slightly  lower  level,  occupies 
the  corner  between  structures  10  and  11.  It  is  43  feet  square.  On  the  west  side 
is  a  flight  of  five  steps,  while  on  the  east  it  merges  with  rising  ground. 


89 


THE  INNER  INCEOSURE. 

The  buildings  which  we  have  described,  together  with  several  pieces  of  wall, 
form  the  Inner  Inclosure,  which  we  shall  now  discuss  as  a  unit  (plate  20,  a).  The 
eastern  side  of  this  court  is  formed  by  the  Castillo  and  structures  2  and  3.  The 
elevation  is  shown  in  figure  67.  The  two  lower  buildings  are  joined  to  the  Castillo 


Fig.  65. — East  fagade  of  structure  11,  Tulum. 


I_ 1 

'  ‘-U) 

by  short  walls.  The  northern  side  of  the  court  is  formed  in  part  by  structure  4 
and  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God.  Starting  at  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
latter,  a  wall  runs  westward,  with  two  slight  bends,  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the 
inclosure.  At  this  point  the  wall  to-day  _______ ___ 

is  10  feet  high  on  the  outside,  2  feet  high 
on  the  inside,  and  4  feet  thick.  The 
greater  height  on  the  outside  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  the  level  of  the  court  in 
general  has  been  built  up  and  also  by  an 
L-shaped  terrace  which  runs  from  the 
Temple  of  the  Diving  God  to  this  corner. 

This  terrace  the  writer  believes  to  have 
been  the  substructure  of  a  house  built  of 
perishable  materials.  It  is  quite  prob¬ 
able  that  it  contains  vaulted  tombs,  like 
the  platform  mounds. 

The  present  battered  condition  of 
the  west  side  of  the  inner  inclosure  may 
be  studied  on  plate  20,  a.  The  ground 
plan  and  a  restored  elevation  of  this 
stretch  are  given  in  figure  67.  From  the 
corner  the  wall  runs  southward  for  55  feet.  At  this  point  it  becomes  both  higher 
and  thicker,  and  a  few  feet  farther  on  it  is  pierced  by  a  vaulted  passage  (plate  19,  c). 
Although  partly  destroyed,  half  of  the  vault  is  still  standing.  The  walls  on  each 


Fig.  66.- 


-Elevation  and  restored  cross-section 
of  structure  11,  Tulum. 


90 


side  of  the  east  end  of  the  passage  appear  to  have  been  decorated  with  low-relief 
stucco  motives.  Twenty-four  feet  farther  south  is  a  second  gap  in  the  wall  (plate 
19,  a).  This  is  wider  than  the  former  and  does  not  seem  to  have  been  closed  in. 
Across  the  passage  there  is  a  distinct  step,  below  and  at  right  angles  to  which  is  a 
line  of  stones.  These  we  are  unable  to  explain  unless  they  formed  part  of  a  sloping 
pavement.  Fourteen  feet  farther  south  the  wall  passes  under  structure  11  and 
finally  terminates  at  the  edge  of  structure  12. 

The  Temple  of  the  Initial  Series  and  structure  10  occupy  most  of  the  south 
side  of  the  Inner  Inclosure.  The  23-foot  gap  between  them  is  filled  by  a  wall  in 
which  there  is  a  gateway.  The  ground  on  this  side  of  the  court  (fig.  67)  slopes 


0  5  10  20  u 


rather  steeply  from  east  to  west,  so  that  the  roofs  of  the  buildings  rise  one  above 
another,  although  all  are  about  the  same  height  from  the  ground.  The  wall  is  8  feet 
high  and  had  a  molding  along  the  north  side.  The  gateway  (fig.  68)  is  vaulted  and 
has  two  offsets  on  each  side.  The  capstone  is  set  back  from  the  surface  of  the 
wall  to  form  the  usual  sunken  panel.  On  either  side  of  the  gate  there  were  low- 
relief  stucco  decorations.  Although  almost  entirely  gone,  just  enough  remain  to 
suggest  that  the  pattern  may  have  represented  conventionalized  serpent-jaws  in 
profile,  a  motive  which  is  characteristically  placed  on  either  side  of  doorways  of 
ruins  in  the  southern  part  of  Yucatan. 

The  lightly  built  walls  and  many  gateways  suggest  that  the  function  of  the 
Inner  Inclosure  was  religious  and  civic  rather  than  military.  Within  the  inclosure 
all  the  buildings  except  structure  10  appear  to  be  intended  for  religious  purposes, 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  19 


Gateways  in  the  Inner  Inclosure,  Tulum.  A,  C,  west  wall;  B,  south  wall. 


jnresiTY  of  iluwis  mm 


91 


in  contrast  with  the  group  outside,  most  of  which  are  residential.  This  court,  then, 
we  must  regard  as  given  over  primarily  to  the  priesthood;  yet  it  is  perhaps  worthy 
of  note  that  the  north  wall  presents  a  barrier  towards  an  assault  from  the  cove 
in  the  cliff,  and  also  that  the  top  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  and  the  top 
of  temple  45  both  command  the  beach,  and  an  attacking  party  must  run  the 
gauntlet  of  cross-fire  from  these  two  elevations. 

Structure  No.  ij. — This  is  a  platform  mound  lying  southwest  of  the  Inner 
Inclosure.  It  is  roughly  L- shaped  and  is  ascended  by  two  stairways.  The  height 
is  from  1  to  3  feet.  Behind  the  center  of  the  north  stairway  the  presence  of  two 
tombs  is  clearly  indicated  by  the  partial  collapse  of  their  vaults.  Other  tombs 
apparently  flank  these. 

Structure  No.  14.— A  square  platform  mound  lies  contiguous  to  and  northwest 
of  structure  13.  It  has  no  features  of  particular  interest. 


Fig.  68. — Gateway  in  the  south  wall  of 
the  Inner  Inclosure,  Tulum. 


Fig.  69. — Structure  13,  Tulum. 


Structure  No.  15. — In  front  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  are  the  remains  of 
either  a  large  altar  or  a  small  platform  mound  badly  shattered  by  a  tree  which  grew 
through  it.  It  may  be  seen  in  the  foreground  on  plate  20,  b,  and  on  figure  74,  b. 
The  original  dimensions  were  about  7  feet  north  and  south,  5  feet  east  and  west, 
and  1.5  feet  high. 

The  chief  importance  of  this  small  mass  of  masonry  arises  from  the  fact  that 
stela  2  had  been  built  into  it.  This  sculptured  fragment  is  4  feet  3  inches  long, 
1  foot  10  inches  wide,  and  9  inches  thick;  it  probably  represents  three-fourths  of 
the  original  slab.  When  first  seen  by  the  writer  it  lay  face  downward  on  the  east 
side  of  the  ruined  altar,  of  which  it  had  undoubtedly  formed  part,  for  the  back  and 
one  side  had  been  covered  with  plaster.  Near  by  were  two  pieces  of  a  stone  metate 
which  can  be  seen  to  the  right  of  the  altar  on  plate  20.  The  date  on  the  stela  is 
katun  2  Ahau,  which  probably  is  the  equivalent  of  1261  A.  D.  This  question,  as 
well  as  the  artistic  value  of  stela  2,  has  been  previously  discussed. 

The  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  ( Structure  No.  16). — This  diminutive  two-storied 
temple  stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  street,  in  front  of  the  inner  inclosure. 


92 


c 

D 


It  is  the  most  richly  ornamented  building  at  Tulum,  both  in  bas-relief  and  in 
frescoes,  and  structurally  it  is  exceptionally  interesting  on  account  ol  its  several 
periods  of  growth. 

The  original  edifice  was  a  single  cell-like  room  marked  A  on  figures  70  and  71. 
This  room  was  later  completely  inclosed  in  another  building  (B),  the  walls  of  which 

form  a  portico  on  three  sides 
and  are  in  contact  with  the 
older  walls  on  the  fourth  side. 
This  curious  arrangement  is 
also  found  in  the  Castillo  at 
El  M  eco.  A  third  addition 
was  a  second  story  (C)  and  a 
flight  of  steps  at  the  south  end. 
The  lower  range  evidently  was 
unable  to  bear  the  extra  load 
thus  imposed  and  it  became 
necessary-  to  strengthen  the 
walls.  This  was  effected  (D) 
by  a  column  in  the  door  of  the 
inclosed  room  and  buttresses 
on  either  side  of  the  door,  by 
a  heavy  retaining-wall  across 
the  outer  east  wall,  and  by  fill¬ 
ing  in  one  end  of  the  north 
corridor.  These  repairs  may 
not  have  been  carried  out  at 
the  same  time.  In  the  north 
passage  it  was  certainly  needed, 
as  the  vault  has  partially  col¬ 
lapsed.  Finally,  there  is  a  plat¬ 
form  mound  on  the  east  side 
which  is  partly  overbuilt  by 
the  retaining-wall. 

I'he  original  building  is 
to-day  the  inner  room.  The 
ceiling  is  vaulted,  and  it  was 
formerly  9  feet  high  and  9 
feet  wide,  the  vault  springing 
almost  from  the  floor.  Against 
the  back  wall  is  a  rectangular  altar  with  a  circular  depression,  and  above  is  a 
window  which,  like  the  window  in  the  north  corridor,  was  carried  through  the 
second  wall  (fig.  71),  but  was  later  blocked  by  the  retaining-wall  (D).  The  piers 
on  the  west  side  of  the  room  and  the  columns  in  the  door  are  seen  in  figure  72,  b, 
and  figure  73,  a.  Traces  of  fresco  are  visible  on  the  wall. 


15  Ft. 


n 


1©: 


Fig. 


7°*- 


-Ground-plan  and  elevation,  Temple  of  the 
Frescoes,  Tulum. 


93 


I  he  exterior  of  the  original  building  had  two  rectangular  moldings  and  a 
vertical  niche  over  the  door  which  contained  a  figure  in  stucco  of  the  Diving  god. 
I  he  moldings  themselves,  the  intermolding  space,  and  the  lower-wall  zone  were 


Fig.  72. — Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum:  A,  north  corridor;  B,  inner  doorway. 


all  covered  with  frescoes,  which  have  had  an  unusual  opportunity  to  survive 
because  they  are  protected  from  the  weather  by  the  surrounding  portico.  Those 
remaining  to-day  in  the  west  corridor  are  shown  on  plate  7.  This  building  probably 


94 


reveals  the  splendor  of  Maya  architecture  in  its  pristine  state  better  than  any 
other  edifice  yet  discovered.  The  moldings  are  decorated  by  rosettes  inter¬ 
spaced  with  colored  chevrons.  Between  the  moldings  is  a  series  of  deities  and 
conventionalized  serpents.  Below  the  moldings  the  wall  is  divided  into  bands 
by  the  bodies  of  intertwined  conventionalized  serpents  adorned  with  flowers, 
seed-pods,  and  elaborate  knots.  In  these  bands  are  various  celestial  beings  in  the 
act  of  making  offerings.  At  the  bottom  is  a  panel  representing  water  in  which 
fish  are  swimming.  The  whole  effect  is  rich,  and  the  black  background  serves  to 
make  the  individual  figures  stand  out  sharply.  The  religious  and  artistic  bearing 
of  this  painting  we  have  previously  discussed. 

The  south  corridor  (fig.  73,  b)  is  wider  and  better  lighted  than  the  western. 
Its  inner  wall  is  also  adorned  with  frescoes,  which  are  more  faded  than  those  we 
have  reproduced.  They  are  not  so  far  gone  that  they  could  not  be  traced  if  the 


Fig.  73. — Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum:  A,  west  corridor;  B,  south  corridor. 


paint  were  brought  out  by  some  liquid,  though  we  do  not  envy  anyone  the  task. 
The  north  corridor  (fig.  72,  a)  is  well  lighted,  owing  to  the  partial  collapse  of  the 
vault.  At  the  extreme  west  end,  separated  by  a  conventional  serpent-band,  are 
two  painted  deities,  the  upper  of  which  we  illustrate  on  plate  8.  It  is  worthy  of 
note  that  the  north  wall  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  has  two  similar  super¬ 
imposed  figures  at  the  west  end. 

The  exterior  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  is  as  richly  decorated  in  stucco  as 
is  the  interior  in  painting.  The  principal  entrance,  on  the  west  side,  is  divided 
by  four  round  columns,  above  which  is  a  long,  sunken  panel.  This  panel  contains 
many  imprints  of  the  Red  Hand,  spaced  about  a  foot  apart.  The  moldings,  two 
in  number,  are  of  the  rectangular  terraced  variety  and  are  adorned  with  numerous 


LOTH HOP 


PLAT  t  20 


Tulum. 


A,  Inner  Inclosure;  B,  Temple  of  the  Frescoes. 


MVEHSITY  OF  ILUBbis  UBM&' 


95 


rosettes  in  stucco.  Above  the  entrance  are  three  vertical  niches  which  contain 
battered  stucco  deities  in  high  relief  (plate  2,  b  and  d,  and  plate  3,  b).  The  lateral 
pair  are  standing  figures  fringed  by  the  feathers  of  elaborate  head-dresses.  The 
central  niche  contains  the  image  of  the  ever-present  Diving  god.  The  head  and 
body  have  been  broken  away,  but  the  legs,  wings,  and  tail  are  still  well  preserved 
and  bear  traces  of  orange,  red,  and  black  paint.  The  grouping — the  Diving  god 
flanked  by  standing  figures — is  also  found  on  the  upper  range  of  the  Castillo  and 
may  be  of  special  religious  significance.  Between  the  moldings  and  between  the 
niches  on  the  west  facade  are  two  low-relief  groups  of  an  uncommon  type  (plate 
3,  c,  d).  They  each  represent  a  human  figure  involved  in  loops.  They  are  too 
badly  battered  for  the  details  of  the  composition  to  be  clear. 

The  north  and  southwest  corners  are  covered  by  gigantic  faces  in  low  relief 
(fig.  24).  The  mouth  and  chin  come  in  the  lower  mural  zone;  the  nose  and  eye 
fill  the  intermolding  space;  the  eye-plate  and  head-dress  occupy  the  upper  zone. 
The  whole  face  was  once  painted  orange,  red,  and  black.  The  general  conception 
is  that  of  a  god,  with  attributes  of  the  feathered  serpent,  who  may  be  tentatively 
identified  as  Kukulcan,  the  Lord  of  the  Winds.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  mask- 
panels  so  common  in  central  Yucatan.  ,s;  .  -  y  -  . 

The  upper  story  is  built  directly  over  the  inner  room.  It  differs  so  much  in 
style  from  the  lower  building  that  there  is  little  doubt  that  it  was  erected  at  a 
different  epoch.  The  curious  projection  of  the  walls  finds  an  exact  parallel  at 
Cancuen  (fig.  159),  but  is  not  seen  elsewhere  on  the  east  coast.  The  batter  at  the 
base  of  the  walls  and  also  the  sunken  door-frame  strongly  suggest  Mexican  influence 
and  may  be  compared  with  various  buildings  at  Chichen  Itza  or  Mitla.  The 
prolongation  of  the  sunken  panel  over  the  door  and  the  vertical  niche  with  its 
traces  of  a  stucco  figure  are  characteristic  of  the  locality.  The  interior  contains 
a  single  vaulted  room.  There  are  stone  pegs  high  above  the  door  in  the  west  wall. 
Opposite  the  door  is  an  altar  with  a  small  window  above  it. 

The  means  of  ascent  to  the  second  story  have  puzzled  the  writer  for  some 
time.  The  illustration  published  by  Stephens  shows  two  masonry  piers  at  the 
south  end  of  the  building.  They  were  examined  with  care  in  1922,  and,  as  can 
be  seen  from  the  accompanying  photographs  (fig.  74),  it  is  evident  that  the  usual 
masonry  stairs  could  not  have  existed  without  leaving  more  debris.  It  is  there¬ 
fore  probable  that  the  ascent  was  by  means  of  wooden  steps  which  apparently  cut 
through  the  cornice.  These  steps  may  have  come  down  to  a  landing  on  the  now 
crumbled  masonry  piers  and  then  branched,  like  the  stairs  on  the  Great  Wall, 
but  it  is  more  probable  that  they  proceeded  directly  to  the  ground,  as  indicated 
in  figure  70. 

The  platform  mound  at  the  back  (east)  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  is  also 
a  puzzling  feature.  Part  of  it  can  be  seen  in  figure  74,  b.  It  is  evident  that  the 
building  proper  has  encroached  upon  it,  because  of  the  unsymmetrical  position  of 
the  stairs.  It  is  our  belief  that  platform  mounds  supported  buildings  of  relatively 
perishable  materials,  although  we  can  not  solve  the  question  of  what  once  may 
have  stood  here. 


96 


Stephens  states  that  in  his  day,  on  top  of  the  platform  mound,  were 

“two  stone  tablets  with  rounded  surfaces,  six  feet  six  inches  high,  two  feet  four  inches 
wide,  and  eight  inches  thick,  having  upon  them  worn  and  indistinct  traces  of  sculpture.” 

These  we  did  not  discover,  nor  did  Howe  in  1911,  but  we  did  find  a  stone  slab 
covered  with  painted  plaster  (stela  4),  which  on  one  side  of  the  monument  was 
nearly  1  inch  deep.  The  left  half  was  painted  blue  and  the  right  half  white. 


Fig.  74. — Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  Tulum:  A,  south  fagade;  B,  southwest 

corner. 


The  dimensions  are:  length  5  feet,  width  2  feet  1  inch,  thickness  8  inches.  The 
thickness  is  the  only  measurement  in  common  with  the  dimensions  given  by 
Stephens,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  stela  4  is  not  one  of  the  slabs  described  by 
him. 

Structure  No.  //. — Immediately  east  of  the  platform  mound  attached  to  the 
Temple  of  the  Frescoes  is  another  platform  mound.  The  correspondence  of  these 
two  is  so  exact  that  they  evidently  belonged  together,  for  almost  the  only  differ¬ 
ence  is  in  the  stairways.  Structure  17  is  4  feet  high  and  17  feet  square. 


97 


Structure  No.  18. — A  small  altar,  4  feet  square  and  2  feet  high,  lies  17  feet 
north  of  structure  17  and  directly  in  front  of  the  steps  of  structure  21,  with  which 
it  probably  belongs. 

Structure  No.  19. — This  is  a  platform  mound 
which  stands  on  the  west  side  of  the  principal  street, 
just  south  ol  structure  20.  The  two  present  a  con¬ 
tinuous  front  line  to  the  street  and  are  separated  by 
a  passage  8  feet  wide.  Structure  19  is  39  feet  long, 

34  feet  wide,  and  3  feet  high.  It  is  ascended  by 
five  steps  on  the  eastern  side.  The  most  interesting 
feature  of  this  mound  is  a  cruciform  tomb  which 
was  disclosed  by  a  large  tree  growing  out  of  its 
center.  The  masonry  walls  of  the  tomb  are  vertical 
and  the  floor  is  polished  cement.  The  roof  was 
made  of  long  stone  slabs.  Both  the  floor  and  ceiling 
of  the  north  and  south  arms  are  lower  than  those  of 


lO 


20  Ft. 


Fig.  75- — Plan  and  elevation, 
structure  17,  Tulum. 


the  east  and  west  arms.  In  this  depression  the  body  had  been  placed,  but  the  posi¬ 
tion  could  not  be  determined,  as  the  bones  were  fragmentary  and  had  been  dis¬ 
rupted  by  the  growth  of  the  tree.  With  the  burial  were  found  broken  pottery 
and  animal  bones.  The  latter  are  probably  the  remains  of  food  placed  in  the 
grave  to  provide  the  soul  on  its  journey  and  are  of  some  interest  as  indicating 
the  diet  of  aboriginal  times.  Dr.  Glover  M.  Allen,  of  Harvard  University,  has 
kindly  identified  these  bones  for  me,  as  follows: 


Fish:  Large  shark;  catfish  ( ramdia ). 

Reptiles:  Small  iguana  ( Ctenosaura  acanthiura );  alligator. 

Birds:  Large  pigeon,  perhaps  the  whitehead  ( Columba  leucocephala)\  ocellated  turkey  ( Agri - 
ocharis  ocellata )  or  Mexican  turkey  ( Meleagris );  large  heron. 

Mammals:  Yucatan  white-lipped  peccary  ( Tayassu  pecari  ringens). 

Miscellaneous:  Fragments  of  a  large  mollusk  or  conch. 


Structure  No.  20. — This  is  a  building  of  the  palace  type,  which  stands  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  main  street  from  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  (plate  21,  b).  The 
substructure  is  4  feet  high.  On  the  east  side  is  a  flight  of  eight  steps,  flanked  by 
wide  balustrades,  leading  to  a  platform  in  front  of  the  main  entrance.  This  consists 
of  three  doorways  divided  by  round  columns  with  square  capitals.  Over  each 
opening  run  two  large  wooden  beams,  a  total  of  six  beams.  The  outer  timbers  are 
set  back  from  the  face  of  the  wall  to  form  the  customary  sunken  panel,  which  is 
separated  from  the  lower  bands  of  the  molding  by  half  a  foot.  This  is  the  only 
example  at  Tulum  of  a  palace  doorway  divided  by  columns  which  is  still  intact. 
Our  observations  led  us  to  believe  that  those  that  have  now  fallen  were  similar  to 
it,  and  other  facades  have  been  restored  on  this  basis  for  illustrative  purposes. 

Over  the  central  opening  in  the  east  facade  is  a  niche  containing  a  stucco  figure 
so  badly  battered  that  little  remains  beyond  the  stone  skeleton  (fig.  23,  a).  From 
the  position  of  the  head  and  the  broken  arm  on  each  side  we  judge  that  the  whole 
was  once  the  customary  Diving  god,  whose  worship  evidently  assumed  great 
importance  at  Tulum. 


fi-c 


98 


'I'lie  eastern  room  (A  on  fig.  77)  is  42  feet  long  and  10  feet  wide.  The  main 
wooden  beams  which  once  supported  the  roof  ran  east  and  west.  On  each  side  of 
the  doorway  in  the  eastern  wall  are  remnants  of  stone  rings.  In  the  north  and 
south  walls  are  rectangular  windows.  In  the  west  end  of  the  north  wall  is  a  crude 
stucco  head  (fig.  79).  All  of  the  walls  were  covered  with  frescoes  painted  in  red 
and  black,  which  have  been  covered  with  a  subsequent  layer  of  plaster,  but  which 
might  be  recovered  by  careful  peeling  of  the  overlying  stratum.  In  the  west  wall 
is  a  doorway,  with  a  lintel  of  two  timbers,  which  leads  to  room  II.  Over  this  door- 


Fio.  76. — Structure  19  and  cross-section  of  Fig.  77. — East  elevation  and  ground-plan  of 

tomb,  Tulum.  structure  20,  Tulum. 

way  is  another  representation  of  the  Diving  god,  again  so  badly  battered  as  to  be 
scarcely  recognizable  (fig.  23,  b). 

Room  B  is  33  feet  long  and  11.5  feet  wide;  its  walls  are  undecorated.  In  the 
center  of  the  back  wall  is  a  sanctuary,  just  south  of  which  is  a  narrow  door  opening 
above  steps  which  lead  to  the  ground.  There  is  a  sunken  panel  over  this  door  on 
the  outer  side.  The  sanctuary  (C)  has  a  molding  consisting  of  a  rectangular  and 
triangular  member  on  the  three  walls  facing  room  B.  There  is  a  window  in  the  back 
(west)  wall.  No  decoration  except  the  molding  is  present  on  any  wall.  The  floor 
is  deeply  covered  with  debris. 

In  the  north  end  of  room  B  are  two  doors,  separated  by  a  masonry  pier,  which 
lead  to  room  D.  This  chamber  is  evidently  a  later  construction,  for  the  wall  be- 


LOTH ROP 


PLATE  21 


Tulum.  A,  structure  21 ;  B,  structure  20 


...  ' 

wwaanr  of  iluho.  m- 


tween  it  and  room  B  makes  the  latter  unsymmetrical;  also,  room  D  stands  on  a 
prolongation  which  breaks  the  line -of  the  main  substructure;  finally,  the  junction 
between  the  old  and  the  new  construction  is  plainly  visible.  The  point  is  of  some 
importance,  because  we  shall  see  that  practically  all  palaces  represent  more  than 


Fig.  78. — East  fagade  of  structure  20,  Tulum. 


one  period  of  construction,  and  therefore  they  and  the  corresponding  archi¬ 
tectural  features  must  have  existed  for  a  considerable  time  before  the  abandon¬ 
ment  of  the  city.  Room  D  was  made  by  knocking  out  the  north  wall  of  room 
B,  shortening  the  latter  by  9  feet,  and  adding  a  wing  7  feet  long  to  the  north¬ 
ward,  thus  forming  a  room  14  feet  long.  In  the  north 
wall  of  room  D  is  a  door  giving  access  to  the  extension 
of  the  terrace. 

Structure  No.  21. — A  large  flat-ceiling  palace  stands 
north  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  and  runs  from  the 
main  street  towards  the  west  side  of  the  Inner  Inclosure. 

Its  general  shape  is  like  the  letter  L,  with  the  principal 
axis  running  east  and  west  and  the  main  entrance  facing 
south.  The  building  stands  on  a  low  substructure  sur¬ 
rounded  by  a  massive  cornice.  This  substructure  and 

the  wing  are  ascended  by  short  flights  of  stairs  on  the 

,  ,  .  ,  ,  '  r™  •  Fig.  79. — Stucco  head  in  room 

south  and  east  sides,  respectively.  I  he  mam  entrance  A  structure  Tulum 

is  35  feet  wide  and  is  divided  by  four  columns  which 

have  fallen,  carrying  away  the  wall  and  ceiling  which  they  supported.  The  east 
and  west  ends  have  both  fallen  outward.  Geometric  panels  between  the  moldings 
(seen  on  figure  80)  are  present  on  the  north  and  south  walls  and  probably  com¬ 
pletely  encircled  the  edifice. 


100 


1  he  outer  chamber  (A)  is  58  feet  long  and  15  feet  wide;  it  is  the  largest  room  at 
rulum  and,  indeed,  resembles  a  portico  rather  than  a  room.1  Down  the  center 
of  the  long  axis  runs  a  line  of  seven  columns.  These  columns  were  capped  by  short 
masonry  piers  which  supported  the  main  roof-timbers.  Naturally  the  collapse 
of  the  roof  destroyed  the  majority  of  these  piers,  but  one  still  in  position  can  be  seen 
on  plate  20,  a.  A  cross-section  of  structure  21  and  a  restoration  of  the  roof  are 
shown  on  figure  12. 

On  either  side  of  the  main  entrance  stone  rings  are  set  in  the  wall.  The 
three  windows  in  the  north  wall  are  all  of  interest.  The  lateral  pairs  have  stone 
pegs  on  each  side  for  supporting  curtains,  a  common  feature  in  connection  with 


0  5  10  20  Ft. 


Fig.  80. — Ground-plan  and  south  elevation  of  structure  21,  Tulum. 


doors,  but  not  elsewhere  observed  with  windows;  the  central  window  has  a  simple 
stone  lattice  in  it  (fig.  7).  This  embellishment,  which  is  also  found  in  the  rear 
windows  of  room  B,  is  designed  to  harmonize  with  the  geometric  panels  on  the 
exterior.  Its  presence  is  possible  only  because  the  windows  are  larger  than  usual. 
All  four  walls  of  room  A  are  painted  red,  with  a  broad  blue  band  just  below  the 
ceiling.  There  is  no  evidence  of  frescoes. 

Room  B  is  entered  by  a  single  doorway  from  room  A,  on  each  side  of  which  are 
stone  rings.  It  is  without  interest  save  for  the  sanctuary  (C),  which  is  unusual, 
because  it  is  not  built  against  the  back  wall  but  projects  through  it,  as  seen  on  figure 
80.  The  roof  was  supported  by  four  north-and-south  beams  which  were  set  in 
pairs. 

1  Before  rooms  c  and  e  of  the  Castillo  were  separated  to  form  the  third  range  they  were  parts  of  a  single  chamber  which 
measured  80  feet  long  and  19.5  feet  wide. 


101 


Fig.  82. — View  of  south  facade  from  room  E,  structure  21,  Tulum. 

room  E.  This  wing  communicates  with  the  original  construction  by  a  door  between 
rooms  A  and  D.  The  latter  is  square  and  has  a  single  column  in  the  center.  The 
west  wall  has  fallen,  as  has  that  of  room  E.  In  the  north  wall,  leading  to  a  small 


The  part  ol  the  building  thus  far  described  is  apparently  earlier  than  the  wing 
containing  rooms  D  and  E,  although  there  is  no  stylistic  difference,  except  that  the 
sunken  door-panel  is  against  the  molding  outside  of  room  A  and  below  it  outside  of 

16  20  21 


Fig.  81. — Structures  16,  20,  and  21,  from  the  Inner  Inclosure. 


102 


terrace,  is  a  narrow  door  flanked  by  stone  rings.  In  the  south  wall  is  a  door  and  a 
window  opening  into  room  E.  This  chamber  is  featureless,  except  for  stone 
rings  on  either  side  of  a  door  in  the  east  wall.  From  this  door  a  fine  view  is 
obtained  along  the  south  facade  of  the  building,  with  the  Inner  Inclosure  and 
the  Castillo  in  the  background  (fig.  82). 

Structure  No.  22  — This  is  a  platform  mound  43  feet  long,  9  feet  wide,  and  1 
foot  high.  It  runs  along  the  western 
edge  of  the  terrace  in  front  of  structure 
25,  and  the  north  end  rests  against 
the  substructure  of  that  edifice.  The 
southern  end  overlooks  the  side  of  the 
terrace,  where  a  stairway  leads  up  from 
the  principal  street.  Along  the  western 
edge  of  the  mound  is  a  wall  1  loot  high 
and  2  feet  broad.  The  drop  from  the 
top  of  this  wall  to  the  street  is  6  feet, 
including  the  height  ol  the  terrace. 

In  the  north  and  south  ends  of  the 
mound  we  discovered  two  vaulted  tombs. 

The  one  in  the  northern  end  (fig.  84)  had 
a  very  neatly  made  vault,  with  an  offset 
on  each  side  at  the  base.  The  tomb  was 
partly  dug  out,  yielding  a  few  fragments 
of  pottery.  At  the  south  end  was  a 
tomb  with  a  half-vault  built  against  a 
vertical  wall  (fig.  83). 

Structure  No.  2j. — Directly  in  front 
of  the  main  entrance  ol  structure  25  and 
on  the  south  edge  of  the  terrace  is  a 
small  stone  platform  4  feet  high.  It  is 
encircled  by  a  broad  rectangular  cornice. 

On  the  north  side  are  steps.  On  the 
southern  edge  is  a  wall  now  2  leet  high,  but  once  perhaps  a  little  higher.  This 
mound  belongs  to  a  class  which  is  apparently  peculiar  to  the  east  coast.  We  saw 
other  examples  of  platform  mounds  with  a  wall  running  along  one  edge — struc¬ 
tures  22  and  29 — -in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  this  one,  but  formed  no  opinion  as 
to  their  function,  except  that  they  all  probably  contain  vaulted  tombs. 

Structure  No.  24. — At  the  east  end  of  structure  25  is  a  tiny  platform  mound— 
perhaps  we  should  say  altar.  It  consists  of  a  mass  of  masonry  5  feet  square  and  3 
feet  high.  It  is  ascended  by  four  steps  on  the  east  side. 

Structure  No.  25. — This  large  palace  adjoins  the  east  side  of  the  principal 
street,  but  faces  southward  on  to  a  terrace.  The  substructure  is  80  feet  long  and 
50  feet  wide.  Its  east  and  west  ends  have  been  reinforced  by  a  retaining-wall 


Fig.  83. — Tomb  in  south  end  of 
structure  22,  Tulum. 


103 


which  varies  in  thickness  from  i  to  3  feet.  The  presence  of  this  wall  is  disclosed 
by  failure  of  the  masonry  anci  may  be  seen  in  figures  84  and  85.  The  northeast 
and  southwest  corners  of  the  substructure  are  rounded,  but  the  other  corners  are 


Fig.  84. — West  side  of  structure  25  and  north  end  of  structure  22,  Tulum. 


Fig.  85. — Structure  25  from  the  northwest,  Tulum. 


square.  On  the  south  side,  in  front  of  the  principal  entrance,  is  a  stairway  hanked 
by  massive  balustrades.  The  entrance  itself,  46  feet  wide,  was  completely  demol¬ 
ished  by  the  falling  of  the  rubble  roof.  It  probably  contained  six  columns  and  also 
three  stucco  figures  in  niches.  There  is  a  niche  on  the  west  facade  which  contained 


104 


such  a  figure,  although  now  only  stone  pegs  remain  to  indicate  what  was  once  there. 
Others  probably  existed  over  the  fallen  north  and  east  doorways.  The  lower 
molding,  and  probably  the  upper  as  well,  was  decorated  with  stucco  rosettes  like 
those  on  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes. 


south  wall;  c,  altar  near  Fig.  87. — Ground-plan  and  restored  cross-section  and  elevation 
north  steps.  of  structure  25,  Tulum. 


The  principal  entrance  leads  to  a  room  (A  in  fig.  87)  56  feet  long,  with  a  window 
in  the  east  and  west  walls.  In  the  north  wall  are  three  doors.  The  lateral  pair 
leads  to  room  C,  while  the  central  door  enters  the  sanctuary  (B),  which  is  built 
against  the  front  instead  of  the  back  wall  of  room  C.  The  wall  about  this  central 
doorway  has  been  made  to  resemble  the  fagade  of  a  small  temple.  The  ends  of 
this  temple  are  indicated  by  raised  ridges  of  plaster.  The  door  itself  is  outlined 


LOTHROF 


PLATE  22 


Tulum.  A,  structures  23,  25,  and  26;  B,  looking  south  along  the  main  street  from  structure  32. 


wmaimroMuta/u 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  23 


Stucco  Figure  of  the  Diving  God 
Structure  25,  Tueum. 


105 


in  red  paint  and  has  the  usual  sunken  panel  above  it.  Over  this  are  two  rectangular 
moldings  and  a  niche  containing  the  finest  stucco  figure  in  the  city.  Between  and 


Fig.  88. — Interior  doorway,  structure  25,  Tulum. 


Fig.  89. — Supplementary  columns  and  sanctuary  in  the  back  room 
of  structure  25,  Tulum.  (Restored.) 

above  the  moldings  the  wall  is  covered  with  frescoes  which  run  right  up  to  the  roof 
beams.  The  stucco  figure  represents  the  Diving  god  in  unusually  elaborate  guise 
(plate  23),  with  still  brilliant  color  over  a  good  part  of  the  surface.  The  false 


106 


fagade  here  deseribed  really  serves  as  a  fagade  for  the  sanctuary,  although  the  two 
do  not  fit  exactly. 

The  sanctuary  (room  B)  is  1 1  feet  long  and  5  feet  wide,  with  walls  rising  to  the 
full  height  of  the  building.  The  ceiling  has  two  major  beams  running  north  and 
south.  On  the  exterior  walls  of  both  room  A  and  room  E  there  are  rectangular 
moldings.  Two  doors  lead  from  the  sanctuary  to  room  C;  the  eastern  door  has  a 
lintel  of  two  wooden  beams,  while  the  western  lintel  ps  of  stone. 

Room  C  is  17  feet  wide,  the  widest  room  without  columns  at  Tulum,  or,  in 
fact,  anywhere  on  the  east  coast.  That  the  wooden  beams  started  to  collapse  be¬ 
fore  the  abandonment  of  the  city  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  a  round  column  and 
a  masonry  pier  were  introduced  on  a  line  with  the  back  wall  of  the  sanctuary. 
At  present  both  of  these  are  the  height  of  the  lower  molding  of  the  sanctuary, 
and  at  this  height  they  were  braced  to  each  other  and  the  walls  by  means  of 
wooden  beams  (fig.  89). 


Fig.  90. — Structures  2 6,  27,  and  28,  Tulum. 


]  n  the  north  wall  of  room  C  are  three  doors,  separated  by  piers,  which  open 
directly  on  a  stairway.  1  his  stairway  descends  to  the  ground,  cutting  through 
the  edge  of  the  substructure.  At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  is  a  small  round  altar  with 
traces  of  carving  on  it  (fig.  86,  c).  At  the  east  end  of  room  C  is  another  door,  which 
leads  to  room  D,  which  is  31  feet  long  and  5  feet  wide.  The  beams  of  this  room 
run  east  and  west.  In  the  east  wall  is  a  doorway  26  feet  wide,  which  probably 
contained  two  columns.  There  is  also  a  door  in  the  south  wall  which  opens  on 
the  principal  fagade. 

Structures  Nos.  26  to  32. — These  structures  are  all  platform  mounds  on  the 
western  side  of  the  main  street,  between  structure  20  and  the  northwest  gateway  in 
the  Great  Wall.  They  all  present  vertical  faces  to  the  main  street,  but  on  the  west 
they  merge  with  the  ground,  which  here  slopes  upward  to  the  west  arm  of  the  wall. 
Structure  26  joins  the  base  of  20  on  the  south  and  27  on  the  north.  The  latter 
supports  a  small  shrine,  to-day  badly  ruined.  On  each  side  of  the  stair  are  two 
low  masonry  platforms.  Along  one  edge  of  these  platforms  runs  a  stone  wall,  like 


107 


31 


32 


I 


J -  =3 


0  5  10  20  Ft 


Fig.  91. — Structures  31  and  32,  Tulum. 


Fig.  92.— Structure  33,  Tulum. 


Fig.  93. — Structure  34  from  the  southwest,  Tulum 


108 


the  walls  already  described  on  structures  22  and  23  and  also  found  on  34  and 
50.  Structure  28  is  featureless,  save  for  a  stairway.  The  three  platform  mounds 
described  all  stand  opposite  the  west  end  of  palace  21. 

Across  the  street  from  palace  25  stands  structure  29,  which  is  36  feet  long  and 
3  feet  high.  There  are  four  steps  leading  to  the  street.  North  of  this  is  30,  a  long, 
low  platform  about  1  foot  high. 

Structures  31  and  32  stand  across  the  street  from  palace  34.  The  former  has 
no  traces  of  construction  on  the  summit,  but  32  has  a  badly  ruined  shrine  set  well 
towards  the  back,  in  line  with  the  stairway. 

Structure  No.  33. — This  structure  stands  south  of  palace  34,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  main  street.  It  is  the  largest  of  the  platform  mounds  and,  like  others  already 
described,  has  a  parapet  along  two  edges.  Mound  33  is  over  50  feet  long.  The 


Fig.  94. — East  facade  cf  the  Cenote  House  and  altar  36,  Tulum. 


parapet  along  the  north  edge  is  well  marked  and  is  clearly  visible  on  plate  22,  b.  The 
western  edge  apparently  also  had  a  parapet,  but  there  was  none  on  the  east  and 
south  sides.  The  height  of  the  parapet  on  the  north  above  the  summit  of  the 
mound  is  3.5  feet,  but  formerly  was  probably  about  5  feet.  No  traces  of  a  stairway 
were  seen,  but  one  probably  existed  on  the  south  or  east  side. 

Structure  No.  34. — This  palace  stands  on  the  east  side  of  the  north  end  of  the 
main  street,  near  the  northwest  gateway  in  the  Great  Wall.  Two  views  on  plate  22,  b, 
and  figure  93  show  its  location  in  relation  to  the  wall  and  the  buildings  to  the  south. 
The  principal  facade  faces  westward.  It  is  marked  by  a  stairway  with  balustrades, 
three  doors  divided  by  columns,  a  sunken  panel  over  the  door,  and  two  moldings 
(fig.  95).  The  rubble  roof  supported  by  wooden  beams  appears  to  have  been  very 
thick,  and  there  is  an  unusual  mass  of  debris  on  the  floor.  A  section  of  the  rubble 
which  fell  without  breaking  is  seen  in  figure  13.  The  outer  room  to-day  contains 
nothing  of  interest.  In  the  back  room  is  a  sanctuary  of  the  usual  type.  In  the 


109 


hack  wall  south  of  the  sanctuary  is  a  narrow  door  opening  on  an  extension  of  the 
substructure,  whence  a  stair  leads  to  the  ground. 


The  Cenote  House  ( Structure  No.  33). — The  word  cenote  is  used  in  Yucatan  to 
denote  a  limestone  cave  which  contains  water.  In  a  country  almost  devoid  of 
rivers  these  caverns  are  of  the  greatest  importance,  as  they  form  the  only  water- 
supply.  At  Tulum  there  is  a  small 
cenote  near  the  northeastern  gate¬ 
way  in  the  Great  Wall.  The  water 
is  evidently  supplied  by  surface 
drainage  from  a  funnel-shaped  area 
of  two  or  three  acres,  which  slopes 
gently  downward  to  the  mouth  of  a 
limestone  cave.  At  the  back  of  the 
cave  is  a  small  pool  of  brackish 
water,  foul  with  bat-dung,  but  still 
drinkable.  The  roof  of  the  cave 
(plate  24,  a)  is  a  natural  limestone  arch,  and  on  this  arch  rests  one  corner  of 
structure  35,  which  we  have  named  the  Cenote  House,  a  small  building  of  the 
palace  type. 


110 


I 


The  principal  facade  of  the  Cenote  House  laces  away  from  the  cenote  and 
towards  the  sea,  near  the  northeastern  passage  in  the  Great  Wall.  The  doorway 
apparently  contained  two  columns,  with  the  usual  sunken  panel.  Among  the  debris 
in  front  of  the  building  we  found  a  crude  stone  figure  representing  an  unknown 
animal.  This  doubtless  was  once  finished  in  plaster  and  was  one  of  several  placed 
along  the  edge  of  the  roof. 


The  plans  of  this  edifice  indicate  two  periods  of  construction  (fig.  96).  The 
first  period  saw  the  erection  of  a  building  of  the  usual  palace  type,  consisting  of  two 
large  rooms  with  a  sanctuary  built  against  the  back  wallof  the  inner  room.  A 
second  constructional  phase  created  an  L- shaped  wing  over  the  roof  of  the  cenote 
(room  e)  and  divided  the  original  back  room  into  two  parts  (rooms  b  and  d). 

From  room  e  a  door  opens  on  a  small  platform,  whence  steps  lead  to  the 
ground  at  one  corner  of  the  cenote  roof  (plate  24,  a).  A  second  set  of  steps,  at 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  24 


A,  Cenote  House,  Tulum.  B,  structure  i,  Tancah. 


Ill 


right  angles  to  the  others,  descends  the  wall  of  the  gully  to  the  level  of  the  floor 
of  the  cave. 

Structure  No.  36. — In  front  of  the  Cenote  House  is  a  small  square  mound  like  24. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  rectangular  cornice  and  ascended  by  steps  on  the  west  side. 
It  doubtless  served  as  an  altar. 

Structures  Nos.  37  and  38. — To  the  south  of  structure  36  are  two  small,  crude 
platform  mounds.  The  western  edge  is  about  1  foot  high,  and  on  the  east  they 
join  the  slope  from  the  gully  in  front  of  the  cenote  to  the  crest  of  the  sea-cliff. 


Fig.  99. — Structures  39,  40,  4T,  and  35,  Tulum. 


Structures  Nos.  jp,  40,  and  41. — A  short  distance  northwest  of  temple  45  is 
a  group  of  three  shrines.  The  assemblage  and  ground  plans  of  these  are  given 
on  figure  98  and  the  front  elevations  on  figure  101.  These  shrines  all  have  a 


Fig.  ioo. — Structures  42  to  45,  Tulum. 


single  door  with  a  sunken  panel  over  it  and  a  crudely  vaulted  interior.  Two  of 
them  face  south  and  one  eastward.  The  south  wall  of  40  (fig.  99)  is  partly  com¬ 
posed  of  a  carved  fragment  broken  from  a  stela  (fig.  19).  In  front  of  the  shrines  are 
various  objects,  which  are  located  in  figure  98.  Two  of  these  are  phalli  (fig.  99),  a 


112 


subject  portrayed  elsewhere  in  Yucatan — notably  Chichen  Itza  andUxmal — but  one 
more  associated  with  Mexican  than  Maya  art.  Other  objects  include  a  stucco 
ornament  resembling  a  pineapple  (e)  and  a  column  of  three  stone  drums  (d),  which 
may  be  a  small  altar  or  perhaps  katun  markers. 

Structures  Nos.  42^  4J,  and  44. — Just  below  the  steps  of  temple  45  are  two  large 
altars  and  a  shrine,  as  well  as  smaller  altars  and  stucco  objects.  One  of  the  altars 
(44)  is  a  rectangular  mass  of  masonry,  but  the  other  (42)  rises  in  terraces  and  is 
capped  by  what  looks  like  a  short  circular  chimney,  which  probably  served  as  a 
receptacle  for  burning  incense.  Shrine  43  is  larger  than  the  others  nearby.  It 
has  four  doors  and  a  rectangular  molding.  Between  it  and  the  steps  of  temple 


012  4  6  Ft. 

I _ I _ 1 - 1 - i 


Fig.  ioi. — Elevations  of  structures  39  to  43,  Tulum. 

45  rest  three  small  objects,  of  which  Catherwood  made  a  drawing  in  1842.  Nearest 
the  steps  is  a  stone  drum  (fig.  98,  a),  on  which  Catherwood  shows  an  ornamental 
cap.  The  second  (b)  is  described  by  Stephens  as  a  pineapple.  It  is  one  of  several 
of  which  fragments  were  found  and  which  we  believe  represent  squashes  (see 
plate  9,  Cy  /.  The  third  object  is  a  small  square  altar  with  a  rectangular  cavity  on 
top  for  burning  incense  (fig.  101,  b). 

Structure  No.  45. — The  cliff  fronting  the  sea  at  Tulum,  as  we  have  said,  breaks 
down  to  form  a  small  sandy  cove  just  north  of  the  Castillo.  To  the  north  of  the 
cove  is  a  steep  eminence  on  which  stands  temple  45,  one  of  the  best-preserved 
buildings  at  Tulum.  The  temple  faces  northward  and  overlooks  structures  39  to  44, 


113 


the  Cenote  House,  and  part  of  the  Great  Wall.  The  substructure  is  of  interest 
because  it  is  circular.  The  only  round  buildings  in  Yucatan  are  at  Chichen  Itza 
(the  Caracol)  and  Mayapan.  The  former  is  still  standing,  but  the  latter  was  struck 


Fig.  io2. — North  fagade  of  temple  45,  Tulum. 

by  lightning  and  destroyed  in  1867.  The  Mayapan  building  is  said  to  have  been 
associated  with  the  worship  of  Kukulcan.  It  is  probable  that  a  circular  building 


Fig.  103. — Temple  45,  from  the  sea,  Tulum. 


was  beyond  the  powers  of  east-coast  architects  and  that  this  and  other  circular 
substructures  to  be  described  were  associated  with  Kukulcan  and  were  the  nearest 
approach  to  a  circular  building  of  which  the  natives  were  capable. 


114 


'The  temple  proper  has  a  single  room  8  feet  long.  The  walls  are  3  feet  thick,  an 
unusual  ratio  of  wall  to  room-space  at  Tulum.  Against  the  back  wall  is  an  altar, 
in  front  of  which  is  a  step.  This  is  one  of  the  altars  still  used  by  the  Indians 
tor  religious  observances.  On  top  of  the  roof  at  each  corner  we  found  the  remains 
of  small  stone  statues  which  had  been  broken  off. 

Structures  Nos.  46 ,  ^7,  and  48.— To  the  south  of  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
Inner  Inclosure  are  three  low  platform  mounds  connected  by  terraces.  They, 
together  with  the  west  side  of  the  inclosure,  form  one  side  of  a  street,  across  which 
stand  structures  13,  21,  and  25.  This  street  is  parallel  to  the  main  street,  one 
“block”  to  the  east. 

Structure  No.  49. — The  southernmost  building  on  the  main  thoroughfare  is 
a  platform  2  feet  high,  the  nature  of  which  is  not  entirely  clear.  At  the  back  of 
the  mound  are  the  ruins  of  a  shrine.  On  the  front,  at  each  side,  are  masses  of 
masonry  a  foot  or  more  high. 

These  resemble  those  on  structure 
27,  but  lack  the  wall  which  runs 
along  one  edge  of  the  latter. 

The  street  on  which  this  struc¬ 
ture  faces  is  defined  by  a  long 
terrace  about  6  inches  high,  which 
runs  southward  from  structure  49 
almost  to  the  gateway.  The  oppo¬ 
site  side  of  the  street  is  similarly  de¬ 
fined  to  the  south  from  structure  48. 

Structure  No.  30. — This  is  a  low  platform  mound,  measuring  roughly  60  by 
30  feet,  in  front  of  the  southeastern  passage  in  the  south  arm  of  the  Great  Wall. 

Structures  Nos.  5/,  529  and 53. — Structures  51,  52,  and  53  form  a  group  through 

which  there  appears  to  have  run  a  street  parallel  to  the  other  north-and-south 

streets.  This  particular  thoroughfare  starts  at  the  structures  named  and  probably 

ran  along  the  edge  of  the  cliff  behind  the  Castillo.  It  may  have  continued  beyond 

* 

the  cove  to  the  eastern  gateway  in  the  north  wall. 

Structure  51  is  a  platform  mound  130  feet  long.  Its  principal  aspect  is  towards 
the  street  and  the  sea.  The  central  portion  projects  beyond  the  wings.  There  are 
steps  in  this  projection  and  in  the  southern  wing.  To  the  west  the  mound  merges 
with  the  rising  ground  near  the  top  of  the  most  elevated  hillock  inside  the  walls. 
Structure  52  is  a  platform  mound  standing  across  the  street  from  51.  There  are 
steps  on  the  west  side.  Structure  53  also  is  a  platform  mound  next  to  52,  from 
which  it  differs  only  in  the  stairs,  which  are  sunk  in  the  mound  instead  of 
projecting  from  it. 

Structure  No.  34. — This  is  a  small  temple  overlooking  the  sea  at  the  south¬ 
eastern  corner  of  the  city.  It  is  roughly  symmetrical  with  45  in  relation  to  the 
Castillo.  The  building  is  chiefly  interesting  because  its  roof,  of  beams  covered 
with  rubble,  was  still  standing  in  Stephens’s  day  and  has  supplied  data  for  the 
only  description  of  this  construction  in  situ.  Stephens’s  account  reads: 


115 


“It  has  four  principal  beams  of  wood,  about  six  inches  in  diameter,  laid  on  top  of 
the  wall  from  end  to  end  of  the  chamber,  with  small  beams,  about  three  inches  in  diam¬ 
eter,  laid  across  the  larger  so  closely  as  to  touch;  and  on  these  cross  beams  is  a  thick  mass 
of  mortar  and  large  pebbles,  which  was  laid  on  moist,  and  now  forms  a  solid  crust,  being 
the  same  materials  which  we  had  seen  in  ruins  on  the  floors  of  other  rooms.  Against 
the  back  wall  was  an  altar,  with  a  rude  triangular  stone  upon  it,  which  seemed  to  bear 
marks  of  not  very  distant  use.  On  each  side  of  the  doorway  were  large  sea-shells  fixed 
in  the  wall  for  the  support  of  the  doors.” 


52 


E 


o 


54- 


53 

Et 


j — e r 


25 


50 


ioo  Ft. 


50 


20  Ft. 


Fig.  105. — Structures  50  to  54,  Tulum. 


Fig.  106. — Ground-plan  and  eleva 
tion  of  structure  54,  Tulum. 

Since  Stephens  s  day  the  roof  has  fallen  and  now  presents  the  appearance 
shown, on  figure  13,  b.  The  walls,  however,  are  still  intact  (fig.  107).  The  altar 
described  by  Stephens  is  buried  under  the  debris  of  the  roof. 

The  Guard  Towers  ( Structures  Nos. 

55  and  5(5). — The  inland  corners  of 
the  Great  Wall  are  occupied  by  small 
buildings  to  which  the  name  “Guard 
Towers,”  given  by  Stephens,  has  clung, 
although  in  reality  they  probably  served 
as  temples.  The  ground  plans  of  the 
buildings  are  very  similar;  a  square 
structure  with  doors  to  the  east,  west, 
and  south  and  an  altar  against  the 
north  interior  wall.  One  of  the  chief 
reasons  for  believing  that  the  buildings 
were  for  religious  rather  than  military 
purposes  is  that  temple  56,  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  wall,  has  no 
door  facing  the  long  west  arm  of  the  wall,  which  would  scarcely  be  the  case  if  it 
was  designed  to  shelter  the  guardians  of  the  city. 


Fig.  107. — Structure  54  from  the  southwest, 

Tulum. 


Although  the  ground-plans  are  the  same,  the  elevations  of  the  two  temples 
are  different.  Temple  55  (fig.  37)  has  a  sunken  panel  over  the  door  and  two  rec¬ 
tangular  moldings.  The  mural  zone  below  the  moldings  was  once  painted  with 
frescoes,  of  which  little  now  remains,  because  the  plaster  has  peeled  off.  The  small 


10 


55 


56 


Fig.  108. — Ground-plans,  structures  55  and  56,  Tulum. 


Fig.  109. — Structure  55,  Tulum. 


fragment  in  figure  no,  b,  however,  is  enough  to  show  that  the  style  was  similar  to 
the  mural  paintings  in  the  corridors  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  and  on  the  facade 
of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  and  that  the  figures  were  silhouetted  against  a 
black  background.  The  sunken  panels  above  the  doors  were  painted  blue.  On  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  building,  between  the  moldings,  is  a  small  stucco  figure 


117 


(fig.  no,  c)y  which  may  represent  the  Diving  god.  Above  the  upper  molding  is  a 
frieze  which  encircles  the  building  (fig.  no,  d  and  e).  It  consists  of  geometric 
panels  sunk  into  the  wall  and  low-relief  stucco  decoration.  The  design  is  very 
similar  to  one  found  at  Dsibiltun,1  and  probably  represents  serpents’  jaws  in  profile 
in  an  extreme  stage  of  conventionalization.  At  the  corners  of  the  building  are 


Fig.  iio. — Temple  55,  Tulum:  west  facade;  b ,  south  fagade;  c ,  southwest 

corner;  d,  west  fagade;  e,  south  fagade. 


plaster  likenesses  of  the  half-columns  which  form  such  an  important  feature  of 
fagade  decoration  elsewhere  in  Yucatan.  They  are  the  only  examples  on  the  east 
coast.  The  sunken  panels  on  the  frieze  appear  to  have  been  filled  with  painted 
decoration,  of  which  a  fragment  from  the  central  panel  of  the  western  fagade  is 
represented  in  figure  no,  a. 


1  Spinden,  Maya  Art,  p.  124. 


IS 


The  southwest  Guard  House,  temple  56,  is  structurally  like  55  (see  fig.  38), 
but  has  no  frieze.  There  are  traces  of  paint  on  the  lintels  and  the  exterior  walls 
probably  also  were  painted. 

Structure  No.  57. — About  a  quarter  ot  a  mile  north  i 

of  the  Great  Wall  are  two  small  temples  which  are  visible 
from  the  sea.  The  writer  believes  that  they  may  be  the 
remains  of  an  “Old  Tulum,”  a  settlement  not  as  early  as 
the  Little  Descent  of  Old  Empire  times,  but  dating  from 
the  time  of  the  League  of  Mayapan.  This  belief  is 
founded  on  the  fact  that  both  buildings  are  free  from 
Nahua  features,  that  one  of  them  has  a  roof-comb,  and 
also  because  the  walls  of  both  are  thicker  in  relation  to 
the  room-space  than  in  most  Tulum  edifices. 

The  southern  building,  temple  57,  stands  on  the 
brow  of  a  steep  slope  within  100  feet  of  the  cliff  fronting 
the  sea.  It  has  one  room  and  faces  west  from  the  sea. 

The  principal  fagade  has  the  usual  sunken  panel  over 
the  door  and  also  two  moldings.  The  walls  are  3  feet 
thick,  while  the  room  measures  only  6  by  1 1.5  feet. 

Structure  No.  58. — Seventeen  feet  west  of  the  stairs 
of  structure  57  is  an  altar  8  feet  long,  5  feet  wide,  and 
2  feet  high.  Nearby  in  the  jungle  are  many  traces  of 
stone  walls  which  may  have  outlined  house  lots  or 
cultivated  fields. 

Structure  No.  59. — Two  hundred  paces  north  of  structures  57  and  58  is  another 
small  temple,  a  well-preserved  building  crowned  by  a  roof-comb.  It  stands  on  a 


Fig. 


hi. — Structure  57, 
Tulum. 


Fig.  1 1 2. — Plans  of  structure  59,  Tulum. 

small  platform  60  or  70  feet  from  the  sea,  which  it  faces.  The  single  narrow  doorway 
is  capped  by  the  usual  sunken  panel  and  there  are  two  rectangular  moldings.  The 


lothrop 


PLJVTE  25 


See  insert  for  cont/nuafon 
and  deta/i  of  wa/i ad  X. 


T-< 


cation,  approximate 
ervaf  5  feet 


l0THROP 


PLATE  25 


0 


Scale 

50  100  150 


200  Feet 


Sketch  contours,  location,  approximate 
Contour  in  °r\/a/  5  feet 


General  map  of  Tulum 


119 


roof  rises  in  terraces  and  supports  the  only  roof-comb  seen  at  Tulum.  Unlike  the 
examples  ol  this  feature  nearby  at  Tancah,  it  is^  pierced  from  back  to  front  not  by 
rectangular  openings  but  by  a  series  of  triangles.  These  openings  are  formed  by 
slanting  stones  set  in  a  heavy  frame  of  masonry.  Formerly  the  roof-comb  was  at 
least  one  tier  higher  than  at  present,  and  the  whole  was  neatly  covered  with  plaster, 
which  hid  the  crude  stonework  now  apparent. 

The  walls  of  the  building  are  unusually  heavy,  in  order  to  support  the  extra  load. 
The  vault,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  cross-section  on  figure  112,  cuts  into  the  lower 
terrace  of  the  roof  and  is  strengthened  by  wooden  cross-beams.  There  is  no  altar, 
but  a  small  window  pierces  the  back  wall  opposite  the  door. 


With  this  building  we  end  our  description  of  Tulum.  What  we  have  described 
in  all  probability  includes  the  most  important  edifices  of  the  city.  Other  remains 
were  seen  in  the  jungle  without  the  Great  Wall,  but  these  were  small  platform 
mounds  or  merely  heaps  of  rock. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OTHER  RUINS  ON  THE  EAST  COAST  OF  YUCATAN. 

Having  completed  our  description  of  Tulum,  we  shall  now  discuss  the  remaining 
ruins  on  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan.  Our  information  concerning  these  sites  is  not 
great,  for  they  have  been  inspected  but  superficially,  yet  they  exhibit  many  features 
of  interest  and  importance  to  a  general  understanding  of  east-coast  archaeology. 
We  shall  first  take  up  the  ruins  of  Tulum  Playa  and  Tancah,  which  stand  on  both 
sides  of  the  main  ruins  at  Tulum  and  which  in  aboriginal  times  may  have  actually 
been  part  of  that  city.  We  shall  next  describe  the  remains  northward  along  the 
coast  and  on  the  near-by  islands.  Finally,  we  shall  touch  briefly  on  the  sites  found 
to  the  south  of  Tulum. 

TULUM  PLAYA. 

The  site  thus  named  is  situated  about  a  league  south  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum, 
directly  inshore  from  the  widest  opening  in  the  barrier-reef  on  this  part  of  the  coast. 
It  is  now  the  seat  of  a  small  village  which  has  grown 
up  through  the  Pardilla  chicle  operations  of  recent 
years.  The  only  aboriginal  edifice  is  a  small  temple 
situated  about  half  a  mile  south  of  the  modern 
houses.  The  building  stands  on  a  point  of  land 
about  60  feet  from  the  water’s  edge,  which  it  faces. 

The  facade  exhibits  the  usual  sunken  panel  and  a 
two-member  molding  like  the  flat-ceiling  buildings 
in  the  Inner  Inclosure  at  Tulum.  The  front  edge  of 
the  roof  is  lined  with  six  small  statues  of  birds  and 
animals.  Originally  finished  in  plaster,  nothing  now 
remains  but  the  crude  stone  base. 

The  roof,  formerly  supported  by  wooden  beams, 
has  filled  the  interior  room  with  the  usual  irregular 
masses  of  rubble.  The  sanctuary-roof,  still  in  place, 
has  four  north-and-south  beams  on  which  rest  slabs 

of  limestone.  The  sanctuary  itself  consists  of  two  Fig.  114. _ Edifice  at  Tulum  Playa. 

parallel  walls  projecting  from  the  back  wall  of  the 

building,  by  far  the  simplest  construction  of  this  form  encountered.  We  must  con¬ 
sider  it  a  degenerate  type,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  this  feature  extends  well  back 
into  Old  Empire  times.  The  door,  or  perhaps  we  should  say  the  open  side  of  the 
sanctuary,  is  less  than  2  feet  high  and  has  both  a  wooden  and  a  stone  lintel. 

TANCAH. 

The  ruins  of  Tancah  are  situated  less  than  an  hour’s  walk  north  of  the  Castillo 
at  Tulum,  i.  e.,  about  3  miles  away.  The  path  leads  in  part  along  the  beach,  but 
where  it  strikes  inland  we  saw  many  stone  walls  and  other  evidences  of  man’s 
handiwork,  so  that  it  seems  probable  that  the  two  sites  were  practically  continuous 
in  aboriginal  times.  This  surmise  is  given  added  weight  by  Juan  Diaz’s  description 

120 


of  a  city  as  big  as  Sevilla  on  this  part  of  the  coast  and  also  by  the  name  Tancah, 
which  means  “in  front  of  the  city,”  a  very  appropriate  name  for  a  suburb. 

These  ruins  were  first  seen  by  J.  J.  Galvez  and  are  briefly  mentioned  by 
Stephens.  We  were  chiefly  drawn  to  them,  however,  by  the  report  that  had  reached 
Belize  of  a  long  hieroglyphic  inscription  cut  on  the  walls  of  a  neighboring  cave. 
These  proved  to  be  pictographs  of  a  most  disappointing  nature,  but  nearby  were 
discovered  two  courts  surrounded  by  ruined  buildings.  They  are  situated  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  from  the  beach  and  an  equal  distance  north  of  the  cave  containing 
pictographs. 

The  general  assemblage  of  the  two  plazas  is  shown  on  plate  26.  Group  A  con¬ 
sists  of  five  standing  buildings  and  five  mounds.  Two  sides  of  a  court  are  out¬ 
lined  by  structure  1  and  structures  3  to  7.  Plaza  B  much  more  definitely  forms  an 
inclosed  court  with  the  usual  platform  mound  in  front  of  the  chief  temple.  A  short 
distance  to  the  south  of  plaza  B  is  a  cave  which  may  have  furnished  water  to  the 
ancient  inhabitants. 

Architecturally,  Tancah  is  surprisingly  different  from  the  neighboring  Tulum 
remains.  The  features  which  seem  worthy  of  special  notice  are  the  following: 

(1)  At  Tancah  there  is  only  one  building  with  a  wooden  ceiling,  and  this  is 
not  of  the  Tulum  type. 

(2)  At  Tancah  there  are  no  columns. 

(3)  At  Tancah  there  are  no  buildings  of  the  palace  type. 

(4)  The  step  which  usually  surrounds  the  Tulum  buildings  is  not  common  at 
Tancah. 

(5)  The  three-member  molding,  typical  of  western  and  northern  Yucatec 
buildings  of  the  period  of  the  League  of  Mayapan,  is  not  seen  at  Tulum,  but  there 
are  four  examples  at  Tancah. 

(6)  Shrines  at  Tulum  are  placed  on  the  ground  or  on  low  platform  mounds; 
at  Tancah  they  are  found  on  relatively  high  terraced  pyramids  in  positions  indicat¬ 
ing  an  important  place  in  the  religious  organization  of  the  city. 

(7)  The  pyramids  supporting  the  shrines  are  of  the  same  type  as  those  sup¬ 
porting  temples  with  roof-combs.  (Compare  structures  12,  16,  and  17.)  It  there¬ 
fore  appears  that  the  two  types  of  edifice  are  roughly  coeval. 

From  these  indications,  together  with  the  lack  of  features  of  the  Toltec  period, 
such  as  serpent-columns,  battered  bases  of  walls,  etc.,  we  conclude  that  the 
buildings  at  Tancah  are  earlier  than  those  at  Tulum,  except,  perhaps,  structure  59 
at  the  latter  place.  The  roof-combs  and  moldings  suggest  that  these  edifices 
were  erected  towards  the  end  of  the  League  of  Mayapan— perhaps  during  the  elev¬ 
enth  and  twelfth  centuries — and  a  count  of  the  plaster  layers  (assuming  renewals 
every  Katun  or  20  years)  leads  to  the  same  conclusion. 

Structure  No.  /. — This  edifice  is  the  easternmost  in  group  A.  It  consists  of  a 
truncated  pyramid  rising  in  two  stages,  with  two  small  buildings  on  the  lower  level 
and  a  shrine  on  the  top  (plate  24,  b).  It  represents  a  class  of  which  other  examples 
occur  at  Tancah  and  Xelha,  in  which  small  shrines  are  placed  on  top  of  incongru¬ 
ously  large  and  high  substructures.  In  the  present  instance  the  survey  is  only 


122 


approximate,  owing  to  the  debris  covering  the  corners,  but  the  base  ol  the  sub¬ 
structure  appears  to  be  60  feet  square  and  the  height  16  feet,  while  the  building  it 
supports  is  8  feet  square  and  6  feet  high.  We  have  already  seen  large  numbers  of 
shrines  at  Tulum,  where  they  were  invariably  built  on  the  ground  or  on  low  plat¬ 
form  mounds.  It  is  therefore  surprising  to  find  them  placed  on  large  substructures 
only  a  few  miles  away  at  a  site  which  is  practically  part  of  the  same  city.  The 
explanation  probably  lies  in  the  difference  in  date  of  construction. 


0  5  10 


2,0  Ft. 


Fig.  i  15. — Structure  1,  Tancah. 


Structure  1  is  ascended  by  stairs  on  the  west  side.  The  lower  flight  is  badly 
ruined.  The  top  of  the  upper  flight  is  divided  by  a  masonry  pier  which  may  have 
served  as  an  altar.  There  is  a  similar  pier  at  Chichen  Itza,  at  the  top  of  the  great 
stairway  in  the  Monjas,  a  building  which  is  believed  to  date  from  the  period  of  the 
League  of  Mayapan.  On  each  side  of  the  upper  stairway  of  structure  1,  resting  on 
the  first  terrace  of  the  substructure,  is  one  of  a  pair  of  small  buildings.  Half  of  the 
vault  has  fallen  in  one  of  these,  but  the  other  is  almost  intact.  This  is  decorated  by 
a  three -member  molding  which  is  typical  of  Maya  buildings  of  central  Yucatan 


123 


before  the  Toltec  invasion,  i.  e.,  before  1200  A.  D.  The  masonry  is  uncommonly 
fine,  and  the  sunken  panel  over  the  door,  usually  so  conspicuous  in  east-coast 
architecture,  is  absent.  From  these  facts  it  may  well  be  argued  that  these  twin 
buildings  represent  an  early  construction  as  compared  with  others  on  the  east  coast. 
The  interior  of  both  was  vaulted,  with  the  long  axis  running  north  and  south. 
In  the  back  wall  of  the  standing  building  there  is  a  large  crack  from  which  a  current 
of  cold  air  emerges.  Where  this  originated  we  could  not  imagine,  for  all  parts  of 
the  whole  edifice  were  protected  by  the  jungle  from  the  trade-winds;  but  the  fact 
that  this  current  of  air  through  the  pyramid  exists  is  an  indication  that  there  are 
interior  chambers  yet  to  be  explored. 


Fig.  1 1 6. — Shrine  on  summit  of  structure  1, 
Tancah. 


0  5  10  20  Ft. 

I  Jl  1  1  1  > _ I _ l 

Fig.  1 17. — Structure  3,  Tancah. 


The  shrine  on  the  upper  terrace  has  the  usual  sunken  panel  over  the  door  and 
has  a  niche  above  this  containing  a  crude  figure  of  the  Diving  god,  which  has  almost 
been  obliterated  by  many  coats  of  plaster.  In  the  door-panel  fifteen  layers  of 
plaster  were  counted.  On  the  east  wall  were  traces  of  red  paint  and  the  whole 
exterior  may  have  been  painted  that  color.  Inside  the  door  there  are  stone  rings 
on  each  side.  The  vault  is  5  feet  high  and  unusually  crude.  It  was  thickly  covered 
with  plaster,  of  which  eleven  and  thirteen  layers  were  counted  in  two  places  where 
it  had  partly  peeled.  If  our  supposition  that  plaster  was  renewed  at  the  beginning 
of  the  katun  (20-year  period)  is  correct,  then  the  shrine  of  structure  1  dates  from 
the  middle  of  the  thirteenth  century. 

Structure  No.  2— In  front  of  structure  1  is  a  rectangular  pile  of  rocks  which 
may  mark  a  tomb. 


124 


Structure  No.  j. — At  the  northwest  corner  of  structure  i  is  an  L-shaped  sub¬ 
structure  8  feet  high,  the  sides  of  which  appear  originally  to  have  been  terraced. 
The  long  arm  of  the  L  supports  a  rectangular  mass  of  unshaped  stones  carefully 
piled  up  without  mortar.  The  purpose  of  this  enigmatic  construction  we  can  not 


Fig.  i  i 8. — Shrine  on  structure  3,  Tancah. 

explain.  The  short  arm  of  the  L  is  occupied  by  a  shrine  which  backs  against  the 
mass  of  masonry.  The  shrine  has  a  sunken  panel  over  the  door  and  a  single  molding. 
Inside  there  is  a  rectangular  altar  against  the  back  wall.  In  the  north  and  south 
walls  there  are  windows. 


Structure  No.  4. — This  to-day  is  a  conical  mound  of  stone.  There  is  no  trace 
of  an  edifice  on  top. 

Structure  No.  5.— This  also  is  a  conical  mound  of  stone  without  trace  of  a  build¬ 
ing  on  the  summit.  The  view  here  given  is  typical  of  a  number  of  such  mounds  both 
at  Tancah  and  Xelha.  They  appear  to  have  been  constructed  with  either  no  mortar 
or  such  poor  mortar  that  it  has  washed  away. 


125 


Structure  No.  6. — This  small  and  badly  cracked  temple  stands  on  one  end  of  a 
platform  42  feet  long  and  21  feet  wide.  The  substructure  has  rounded  corners  and 
vertical  sides  and  is  ascended  by  a  flight  of  12  steps  on  the  south  end.  The  temple 


Fig.  1 21. — Stucco  figure 
on  south  interior  wall, 
structure  6,  Tancah. 


. -  rz 


7  ..  ,  3 

L 

J 

1  •.—-i 


has  a  three-member  molding,  above  which  the  walls  retreat  in  a  series  of  terraces, 
and  on  top  there  is  a  small  roof-comb.  An  examination  of  the  interior  discloses  the 
fact  that  the  vault  cuts  through  the  inside  of  the  terracing. 


126 


The  door  of  the  temple  is  of  the  usual  east-coast  type,  with  a  sunken  panel 
across  the  top.  There  are  traces  of  paint  in  this  panel.  The  interior  has  a  vault 
1 1  feet  high  braced  by  two  wooden  cross-beams.  On  the  east  side  of  the  door  is  a 


Fig.  123. — Structure  8  from  the  south,  Tancah. 


crude  stucco  figure  which  apparently  represents  a  monkey.  Against  the  back  wall 
is  an  altar,  approached  by  a  step  and  surrounded  by  a  rectangular  cornice.  Behind 
the  temple,  on  the  same  substructure,  is  a  square  mass  of  uncemented  masonry 
(fig.  122).  This  corresponds  to  the  similar  mass  on  f-.  - 

structure  3. 

Structure  No.  7. — West  of  temple  6  is  a  low  rectan¬ 
gular  pile  of  masonry  which  may  cover  a  tomb. 

Structure  No.  8. — This  is  a  shrine  which  measures  8 
feet  in  each  dimension.  It  stands  on  a  platform  with  vertical 
sides  and  a  stairway  on  the  south.  The  door  is  capped  by 
a  sunken  panel  and  there  are  two  rectangular  moldings. 

On  the  rear  (north)  exterior  wall  are  two  monkeys  crudely 
modeled  in  plaster.  The  interior  is  vaulted  and  not  high 
enough  to  permit  standing  erect.  Against  the  back  wall  is 
an  altar  over  which  is  a  small  window. 

Structure  No.  9. — In  front  of  structure  8  is  a  low  rec¬ 
tangular  platform  mound. 

Structure  No.  10. — This  small  building,  which  prob¬ 
ably  once  had  a  second  story,  consists  of  an  inner  room 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  two  corridors.  The  facade, 
which  is  only  7  feet  high,  has  two  rectangular  moldings. 

The  entrance  on  the  south  side  consisted  of  triple  door¬ 
ways  separated  by  masonry  piers.  A  sunken  panel  ran  across  the  doors,  and  a 
very  much  battered  human  head  found  on  the  ground  probably  belonged  to  a 
stucco  figure  set  in  a  niche  over  the  central  door.  The  plaster  on  each  side  of  the 
entrance  bears  imprints  of  the  “red  hand.” 


15  Ft. 


Fig. 


124. — Structure  8, 
Tancah. 


127 


Passing  through  the  doorway,  one  enters  a  narrow  corridor  which  runs  around 
three  sides  of  the  building.  The  roofs  of  this  and  of  the  inner  corridor  are  carried 
by  a  half-vault,  in  each  case  built  against  the  interior  wall.  A  single  door  leads  to 
the  second  corridor.  It  is  outlined  by  a  band  of  blue  paint  3  inches  wide  and  is 
surmounted  by  a  sunken  panel,  over  which  are  two  rectangular  moldings.  The 
lintel  is  made  of  flat  wooden  beams.  The  second  corridor  also  runs  around  three 


- V - fr- 


Fig.  125. — South  facade  of  structure  10, 
Tancah. 


Fig.  126. — Plans  of  structure  12,  Tancah. 


sides  of  the  building  and  is  only  1  foot  wide  on  the  east  side.  Three  doors,  one  in 
each  wall,  lead  from  it  to  the  interior  chamber,  which  is  7  feet  square.  The  roof 
has  fallen.  It  may  have  been  supported  by  wooden  beams,  of  which  several  were 
seen  in  the  debris,  but  no  holes  for  their  insertion  were  seen  in  the  walls.  Our  belief 
that  this  building  had  a  second  story  is  based  on  the  slight  signs  of  a  wall  above  the 
roof-level,  which  can  be  seen  in  figure  127,  and  also  on  the  large  amount  of  fallen 
stone  which  has  almost  completely  choked  the  interior  room. 


128 


A  fragment  of  plaster  which  had  fallen  from  the  molding  in  the  outer  corridor 
disclosed  no  less  than  23  layers.  From  this  it  may  be  argued  that  the  building 
witnessed  the  passing  of  an  equal  number  of  katuns  and  was  erected  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  eleventh  century. 


Fig.  127. — South  fagade  of  structure  10,  Tancah. 


East  side.  South  side. 

Fig.  128. — Structure  12,  Tancah. 


Structure  No.  //. — In  front  of  structure  10  is  a  rectangular  inclosure  formed 
of  two  parallel  lines  of  stones.  There  is  an  entrance  to  this  court  in  the  center  of 
the  south  side.  The  lines  of  stones  quite  possibly  indicate  the  foundations  of  mud 
walls  which  have  been  washed  away. 


129 


Structure  No.  12. — This  building  stands  on  the  western  side  of  court  B.  It 
consists  of  a  nearly  ruined  edifice  which  rests  on  a  steep,  three-tiered  substructure 
(fig.  126).  Over  the  door-niche,  which  is  painted  red,  is  a  three-member  molding, 
above  which  is  a  terraced  roof  like  that  on  structure  6.  The  top  of  the  roof  is 


n 


0  5  10  20  Ft. 

i  -1  A— L-A-i _ i _ 1 


Fig.  129. — -Tancah:  A,  structure  14;  B,  structure  16; 

C,  structure  17. 

crowned  by  a  castellated  roof-comb  of  two  tiers,  each  pierced  by  rectangular 
openings.  The  two  tiers  of  the  roof-comb  are  separated  by  a  three-member  molding. 
There  is  a  similar  molding  on  the  House  of  the  Pigeons  at  Uxmal.  The  interior  of 
the  building  is  vaulted,  the  vault  running  into  the  terracing  of  the  roof.  There  are 


130 


several  layers  of  stucco,  at  least  two  of  which  are  painted  with  frescoes.  The  south 
wall  has  fallen  outward,  as  shown  in  figure  128. 

Structure  No.  ij. — This  is  a  platform  mound  abutting  on  structure  12  to  the 
south.  It  is  almost  3  feet  high. 

Structure  No.  14. — At  the  west  end  of  the  south  side  of  plaza  B  is  a  small 
shrine  resting  on  a  substructure  with  a  round  front  (fig.  129,  a).  The  ground 
slopes  rapidly  away  behind  this  mound,  so  that  the  back  is  much  higher  than  the 
front.  There  are  four  steps  in  the  center  of  the  curved  side.  On  top  is  a  rectangu¬ 
lar  platform  on  which  rests  a  shrine.  The  walls  have  fallen  above  the  height  of 
the  door.  A  low  stone  wall  runs  across  the  corner  of  the  plaza  from  this  building 
to  structure  B. 


Fig.  130. — Structure  16,  Tancah. 


Structure  No.  ij. — Abutting  on  structure  14  is  a  rectangular  substructure  about 
5  feet  high,  on  top  of  which  are  traces  of  a  badly  ruined  shrine. 

Structure  No.  16. — Directly  across  the  plaza  from  structure  12  is  a  large,  three¬ 
tiered  pyramid  with  traces  of  stairs  on  the  west  side  (fig.  130).  On  top  is  a  small 
building  the  walls  of  which  are  3  feet  thick,  while  the  room  inside  is  only  4  feet  long 
and  3  feet  wide.  The  ceiling  is  of  a  unique  type.  The  north  and  south  walls  project 
inward,  as  in  the  usual  vault,  but  the  capstones  are  replaced  by  four  wooden  beams 
marked  a  on  the  section  on  figure  129,  b.  Across  the  interstices  between  the  wooden 
beams  were  placed  fiat  stones  about  a  foot  long  ( b ,  b).  Over  these  stones  large 


131 


stone  slabs  were  laid  (c),  which  run  in  the  same  direction  as  the  wooden  beams.  On 
top  was  a  concrete  cap.  This  curious  ceiling  seems  to  represent  a  half-way  stage 
between  the  true  Maya  vault  and  the  typical  flat  ceiling  as  seen  at  Tulum  and 
elsewhere.  It  is  an  exceedingly  cumbersome  affair  in  spite  of  the  short  space  it 
spans.  It  owes  its  preservation  to  the  fact  that  part  of  the  ceiling  collapsed  and 
the  concrete  cap  slid  off  the  still  remaining  beams,  thus  relieving  them  of  most  of 
their  load. 


Fig.  i 3 i . — Cave  of  Tancah:  A,  pictographs;  B,  general  view. 


Structure  No.  ij. — This  also  is  a  terraced  pyramid  with  stairs  on  the  west  side 
and  a  shrine  on  top.  Although  most  of  the  exterior  facing  of  the  building  has 
crumbled  away,  so  that  it  resembles  a  stone-pile,  the  interior  is  well  preserved  and 
the  vault  is  still  standing.  There  are  three  doors.  Those  in  the  north  and  south 
walls  are  not  in  the  center,  but  are  built  against  the  front  wall  of  the  building — a 
most  unusual  arrangement  (fig  129,  c). 

Structure  No.  18. — This  appears  like  a  pile  of  rocks  10  or  15  feet  high.  There  is 
no  trace  of  terracing  on  the  sides  or  a  building  on  the  summit. 

Structures  Nos.  19  to  22. — -These  are  all  platform  mounds  on  the  north  side  of 
the  plaza.  They  range  in  height  from  1  to  3  feet  and  present  no  features  of  interest. 


132 


Structure  No.  2j.— This  is  a  small  platform  mound  standing  in  the  center  of 
court  B  in  front  of  the  steps  of  temple  12. 

THE  CAVE  OF  TANCAH. 

The  cave  containing  pictographs  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  coast, 
behind  an  abandoned  chicle  settlement  which  was  forcibly  broken  up  by  the 
Indians  a  few  years  ago.  Fifty  yards  from  the  beach  the  trail  passes  a  brackish  but  * 
drinkable  cenote.  Before  reaching  the  cave  it  crosses  the  corner  of  a  milpa  and 
passes  over  a  low  hill.  The  cave  itself  is  a  semicircular  opening  15  or  20  feet  deep 
and  nearly  100  feet  long.  Near  the  bottom  is  a  flat  ledge.  This  has  been  partly 
leveled  and  partly  built  up  of  masonry.  Below  the  ledge  is  a  slope  which  soon 
enters  the  water,  which  is  cold  and  clear.  A  search  for  objects  on  the  bottom,  5  feet 
under  water,  proved  fruitless. 


Fig.  132. — Cave  of  Tancah. 

The  “hieroglyphic  inscription,”  which  had  led  us  to  this  site  and  indeed  had 
inspired  Mr.  Morley  to  make  the  trip  up  the  east  coast,  was  cut  on  the  slope 
just  above  the  water,  as  can  be  seen  on  figure  131,  b.  A  closer  view  (fig.  131,  a) 
discloses  incised  patterns  which  vaguely  resemble  glyph-blocks,  but  which  are 
apparently  meaningless.  We  concluded  that  this  cave  probably  formed  a  retreat 
in  which  the  Indians  continued  their  native  ceremonies  after  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  and  that  the  carvings  on  the  rock  were  crude  attempts  to  cut  glyphs 
after  the  real  knowledge  of  the  art  had  passed  away.  This  belief  was  strengthened 
by  the  discovery  of  a  crude  stone  idol  which  had  been  luted  to  a  base  of  masonry 
at  one  end  of  the  cave  (fig.  132).  The  idol  was  formed  of  a  large  slab  of  stone,  on 
which,  again,  had  been  cut  glyph-like  pictographs.  It  could  hardly  have  dated 


Stone  idol. 


LOTHROP 


TANCAH 


Maps  of  Xelha  and  Tancah. 


•J 


ri 


/ 


->■•  * 


V 


mmm  op  ainots  ubraby 


\>  ■■ 


133 


from  the  prime  of  the  Maya  civilization.  Some  distance  in  front  of  the  idol  was  a 
stone  altar  (fig.  132)  made  in  the  form  of  a  miniature  truncated  pyramid  and 
neatly  covered  with  plaster.  An  idol  once  stood  on  this,  but  was  carried  away  by 
Mexican  troops  1 5  or  more  years  ago. 

XELHA. 

The  ruins  of  Xelha1  are  situated  near  the  bay  of  the  same  name.  The  entrance 
to  this  bay  is  a  gap  in  the  limestone  coast-line  about  100  feet  wide.  This  opening  is 
partially  blocked  by  a  reef  on  which  there  is  considerable  surf.  There  are  two 


Fortified  peninsula.  South  arm. 

Fig.  133. — Xelha  lagoon. 


right-angled  turns  in  the  channel  through  the  reef,  so  that  the  passage  is  dangerous 
for  small  boats  even  in  calm  weather.  The  bay  is  roughly  Y-shaped,  the  channel 
leading  up  the  stem  of  the  Y.  Limestone  cliffs  from  5  to  1 5  feet  high  line  the  shores. 
The  water,  dotted  with  diminutive  islands,  is  a  bright  blue  green,  through  which  the 
white  coral  sand  glistens  like  silver. 


North  end. 


South  end. 

Fig.  134. — Wall  of  Xelha. 


Somewhere  near  this  bay  the  Spaniards  under  Montejo  are  reputed  to  have 
established  the  first  European  settlement  in  Yucatan  in  the  year  1528.  Of  it  we 


1  Xelha  is  derived  from  Xtl ,  a  root  meaning  to  open  or  break,  and  hence  opening  or  pieces,  and  from  ha ,  water. 


134 


saw  no  trace.  The  aboriginal  ruins  consist  of  a  fortified  peninsula  between  the  arms 
of  the  bay  and  a  group  of  buildings  situated  half  a  mile  west  of  the  north  arm  of 
the  bay. 

THE  XELHA  WALL. 

In  the  fork  of  the  two  arms  of  Xelha  Bay  is  a  peninsula,  about  200  yards  in 
length  and  breadth,  which  is  joined  to  the  mainland  by  a  narrow  tongue  of  land. 
This  peninsula  is  seen  in  the  middle  distance  on  figure  133,  a.  The  connecting 
neck  is  defended  by  a  stone  wall  which  is  structurally  comparable  to  the  Great 
Wall  at  Tulum.  The  height  averages  about  8  feet  and  the  thickness  varies  from 
8  to  25  feet. 

The  southern  end  of  the 
wall  terminates  abruptly  at  the 
edge  of  a  small  cliff  above  the 
water  (fig.  134,  b),  which  is  here 
quite  deep.  A  few  steps  to  the 
west  is  a  small  island  to  which 
access  is  gained  by  a  bridge 
formed  of  a  large  limestone  slab. 

Near  the  south  end  of  the  wall  is 
the  only  entrance  to  the  penin¬ 
sula,  a  narrow  passage  in  which 
there  is  a  right-angled  turn  (fig. 

135).  North  of  the  passage  the 
wall  is  very  much  thicker  than 
before  and  has  a  well-defined 
curtain-wall  or  parapet  on  the 
outer  edge.  Thirty-five  feet 
from  the  passage  there  is  an 
offset  in  the  outer  slope,  similar 
to  those  in  the  south  arm  of  the 
Tulum  wall  and  affording  a  van¬ 
tage-point  for  cross-fire.  At  this 
corner  is  a  small  room  built  in 
the  thickness  of  the  parapet, 
probably  for  the  purpose  of  stor¬ 
ing  arms.  Forty  feet  north  of 
the  offset  the  wall  reaches  the  water  on  the  other  side  of  the  peninsula  (fig.  134,  a). 
It  does  not  terminate  here,  however,  but  follows  the  shore  for  a  distance  of  60  feet. 
1  he  apparent  reason  for  this  is  that  the  water  is  not  so  deep  as  at  the  south  end, 
and  the  extension  along  the  shore  was  necessary  to  prevent  attackers  from  wading 
around  the  end  of  the  wall. 

XELHA  RUINS. 

I  he  city  of  Xelha  is  reached  by  a  trail  which  passes  by  the  northern  arm 
of  the  lagoon.  From  this  point  it  is  a  little  over  half  a  mile  westward  to  the  ruins, 


Section  A-A 

0  5  10  20  Ft. 

«  >  1*11 ! * 

Fig.  135. — Plan  of  the  wall,  Xelha. 


135 


which  are  so  close  to  the  sea  that  the  surf  is  distinctly  audible.  The  aboriginal 
settlement  consists  ol  a  plaza  outlined  by  various  buildings  (plate  26),  as  well  as 
scattered  mounds  to  the  northward,  which  were  not  surveyed.  In  ancient  times 
it  may  have  extended  to  the  sea,  for  traces  of  walls  were  noted  along  the  trail  we 
followed  to  reach  the  center  of  the  city.  The  shape  of  the  plaza  is  unusual,  owing 
to  the  very  pointed  corner  at  the  south  end. 


Architecturally,  Xelha  resembles  Tancah  more  closely  than  any  other  site. 
Flat-ceiling  buildings  of  the  palace  type  and  stone  columns  are  not  found.  Shrines 
are  exceedingly  common,  and  are  either  set  on  high-terraced  substructures,  as  at 
Tancah,  or  placed  on  low  platforms  with  vertical  sides,  as  at  Tulum,  or  are  built 
at  the  base  of  high  mounds,  which  once  may  have  been  terraced  and  carried  build- 


136 


ings  on  their  summits,  but  which  to-day  are  conical  heaps  of  stone.  This  practice 
appears  again  at  San  Benito  and  San  Miguel,  on  the  island  of  Cozumel.  Moldings 
are  usually  a  single  rectangular  string,  but  examples  of  the  three-member  molding 
are  found.  At  least  two  buildings  had  castellated  roof-combs.  No  traces  of 
sculpture,  stucco  bas-relief,  or  frescoes  were  seen,  although  several  buildings 
were  apparently  painted  in  solid  colors.  The  reasons  for  believing  the  buildings 
at  Tancah  older  than  those  at  Tulum  have  already  been  explained.  In  the  same 
way  we  believe  that  Xelha  was  built  during  the  period  of  the  League  of  Mayapan 


and  persisted  with  but  little  change  during  the  period  ol  Mexican  ascendency  until 
the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  Xelha  is  spoken  of 
by  these  invaders  as  a  relatively  small  and  unimportant  city — a  meager  description, 
but  one  which  fits  the  ruins  under  consideration. 

Structure  No.  /. — The  best  preserved  and  finest  building  at  Xelha  is  shown  on 
plate  27;  it  stands  in  the  center  of  the  east  side  of  the  plaza,  with  the  doorway  facing 
west.  Stylistically,  this  is  the  oldest  building  yet  seen  on  the  east  coast,  differing 
from  the  usual  temple  type  in  its  general  proportions,  moldings,  vaulting,  thick 
walls,  roof-comb,  and  elaborate  altar.  In  these  details  it  resembles  the  architecture 
of  central  Yucatan,  particularly  the  House  of  the  Pigeons  at  Uxmal,  and  we  there¬ 
fore  date  it  from  the  time  of  the  League  of  Mayapan. 


137 


The  substructure  rises  in  terraces  with  a  rectangular  cornice  at  each  level,  like 
others  already  described  at  Tancah.  A  huge  tree  growing  out  of  the  east  side  of  the 
substructure  has  recently  been  uprooted,  thus  forming  a  large  cavity  under  the 
back  wall,  which  threatens  the  speedy  destruction  of  the  building.  The  stairway, 
on  the  west  side,  is  flanked  by  balustrades  and  has  no  peculiarities. 

The  base  of  the  exterior  walls  of  the  building  shows  a  slight  offset  a  foot  and  a 
half  from  the  ground,  which  corresponds  to  the  step  which  surrounds  most  east- 
coast  buildings  and  is  perhaps  the  prototype  of  it.  The  offset  differs  from  the  step, 
however,  because  the  latter  raises  the  floor-level  of  the  building,  while  the  former 
merely  breaks  the  line  of  the  walls  without  increasing  the  height.  There  are  two 
sets  of  moldings,  each  of  the  three-member  variety;  the  upper  bands  form  a  cornice 
at  the  top  of  the  fagade,  while  the  other  molding  is  placed  at  half  the  height  of  the 
building — an  arrangement  typical  of  central  Yucatan  but  not  of  the  east  coast. 
The  castellated  roof-comb  rises  in  five  tiers,  of  which  the  highest  has  fallen.  The 
four  upper  tiers  are  pierced  from  back  to  front  by  rectangular  openings. 


kV 


-  fJ'-  • 

!K*  'K* 

viSuKUgL, 

!K*  i Mi  igT 


PTTT; 

0 

1-1  I 


10 


20  Ft. 

l 


Fig.  139. — Restoration  of  structure  2,  Fig.  140. — Structure  3, 

Xelha.  Xelha. 

The  doorway  leading  to  the  single  chamber  is  capped  on  both  sides  of  the  wall 
by  a  sunken  panel,  the  only  typical  east-coast  feature  in  the  whole  building.  Four 
nicely  cut  beams,  of  wood  pronounced  by  our  workmen  to  be  cirocote ,  form  the 
lintel.  On  each  side  of  the  doorway  on  the  interior  wall  there  are  stone  pegs. 

The  vault  is  distinguished  by  the  unusual  regularity  of  the  overstepping 
courses,  the  projecting  corners  of  which  are  not  cut  off,  as  is  usually  done.  The  first 
three  tiers  project  from  all  sides  of  the  room,  but  above  this  the  ends  rise  vertically 
for  the  distance  of  five  offsets  on  the  front  and  back  walls.  At  the  top  of  the  vault 
there  is  one  more  projecting  course  on  all  four  sides,  and  the  remaining  open  space  is 
closed  by  five  large  capstones.  Two  wooden  beams  which  braced  the  vault  have 
disappeared.  The  walls,  both  exterior  and  interior,  are  neatly  plastered,  but 
apparently  were  never  painted. 

In  the  center  of  the  back  wall  is  a  large  altar  with  the  usual  window  above  it 
(figs.  8  and  137).  This  altar  is  an  oblong  masonry  block  with  a  rectangular  cornice 
and  is  approached  by  a  low  step.  The  upper  surface  is  connected  with  the  back 
wall  by  terraced  wings  and  in  the  center  is  a  deep,  round  hole.  We  at  first  thought 


that  the  base  of  an  idol  had  been  inserted  in  this  hole,  but  found  that  it  contained 
several  carbonized  corn-cobs  and  therefore  might  have  been  a  receptacle  for  offer¬ 
ings.  Nearby  on  the  door  was  a  potsherd  on  which  the  marks  of  coarsely  woven 
cloth  had  been  impressed  while  the  clay  was  still  soft. 

Structure  No.  2.-N This  edifice  stands  south  of  the  building  just  described,  and, 
although  badly  ruined,  was  apparently  of  the  same  type.  The  view  in  figure  138 
shows  the  front  elevation.  Traces  of  the  terraced  substructure  are  visible,  also  the 
doorway  and  part  of  the  front  walls.  An  examination  of  the  debris  led  us  to  the 
conclusion  that  there  had  once  been  a  roof-comb  of  the  castellated  variety,  decorated 
by  square  perforations  with  diagonal  cross-bars.  A  restoration  of  the  probable  type 
is  suggested  in  figure  139.  The  top  of  the  roof-comb  was  found  actually  intact  on 
the  ground  below,  as  well  as  other  fragments,  but  the  molding  is  purely  conjectural. 
The  panel  over  the  door  can  be  seen  on  the  standing  wall. 


Structure  No.  j. — A  low  terrace  facing  the  plaza  runs  from  structure  2  to  the 
south  corner.  Structure  3  stands  on  it  next  to  structure  2.  The  former  is  a  shrine 
standing  on  a  rectangular  platform  of  its  own  with  two  steps  on  the  south  side. 
The  mortar  has  been  washed  away,  the  roof  has  fallen,  and  only  crude  stone  walls 
less  than  a  yard  high  remain.  The  doorway,  which  is  intact  and  is  less  than  2  feet 
high,  had  a  sunken  panel  above  it. 

Structure  No.  4. — A  low  circular  platform  with  no  trace  of  construction  on  top. 

Structure  No.  5. — At  the  south  corner  of  the  plaza  is  a  rectangular  mound 
facing  north.  The  height  is  5  feet.  On  top  is  a  badly  ruined,  small  temple  13  feet 
long  and  7  feet  wide,  with  a  door  2  feet  wide  in  the  north  wall. 

Structure  No.  6. — This  consists  of  a  large,  formless  mound  of  unshaped  stones, 
at  the  base  of  which  is  a  shrine.  The  mound  is  about  20  feet  high.  There  are  no 


139 


signs  of  construction  on  top  nor,  indeed,  any  evidence  that  its  sides  were  ever 
faced.  The  shrine  has  a  single  rectangular  molding.  The  side  walls  are  4  feet 
thick  and  the  room  is  roughly  a  yard  in  each  dimension.  At  the  back  is  a  low  step, 


Fig.  143. — South  side  of  structure  11,  Xelha. 

behind  which  there  is  a  recess  in  the  wall.  On  each  side  of  this  are  small  benches. 
The  interior  stonework  is  excessively  crude,  especially  the  vaulting.  The  exterior 
walls  are  neatly  covered  with  plaster,  of  which  there  are  several  coats.  In  front  of 
the  shrine  are  two  rectangular  altars,  each  2  feet  square  and  half  a  foot  high. 

Structure  No.  7. — At  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  plaza  there  is  a  small  sub¬ 
court  opening  off  the  larger  inclosure.  This  is  inclosed  by  structure  7  on  the  south, 
structure  8  on  the  west,  and  structure  9  on  the  north  side.  Structure  7  is  a  small, 
featureless  temple  measuring  12  by  14  feet,  with  a  single  doorway  on  the  north 
side. 

Structure  No.  8. — This  is  a  low  platform  mound,  at  the  back  of  which  is  a 
small  rectangular  mass  of  masonry.  In  front  of  this  is  a  T-shaped  altar. 

Structures  Nos.  9  and  10. — Structure  9  is  a  low  platform  on  the  north  side 
of  the  subcourt  just  mentioned.  Structure  10  is  a  small  platform  standing  north 
of  9  and  connected  with  1 1  by  a  narrow  elevation,  the  nature  of  which  is  not  clear. 


0  5  10  20  Ft. 

I — L_i — 1 — 1 — 1 _ 1 _ 1 


Fig.  144. — South  elevation  of  structure  11,  Xelha. 

Structure  No.  //. — Projecting  into  the  main  plaza  on  the  center  of  the  west 
side  is  a  platform  mound  8  feet  high,  which  faces  south.  The  most  important 
feature  is  the  stairway,  in  the  center  of  which,  on  a  level  with  the  upper  platform, 
is  a  masonry  pier  like  that  seen  at  Tancah  (structure  1).  The  stairway  itself  is 
narrow  and  was  flanked  by  rectangular  balustrades,  now  destroyed.  The  mound  is 


140 


now  shapeless,  but  probably  was  once  terraced.  On  top  are  traces  of  a  building 
which  has  been  shattered  by  a  ramon  tree. 

Structure  No.  12. — North  of  structure  1 1  lies  a  low  terrace  which  should  perhaps 
be  considered  a  large  platform  mound. 


Fig.  145. — Structures  13  and  14,  Xelha. 


0  5  10  20  Ft. 

<i  1  1  i J - 1-  ■  ■ 


Fig.  146. — Structures  15  and  16,  Xelha. 


Structure  No.  ij. — At  the  northwest  corner  of  the  plaza  are  two  platform 
mounds  joined  by  a  wall  5  feet  wide  and  12  feet  long.  The  southernmost  mound 
(13)  has  a  low  terrace  running  across  the  back.  On  this  are  two  low,  rectangular 
masses  of  masonry.  The  whole  construction  is  similar  to  several  encountered 
at  Tulum,  such  as  structures  23,  27,  and  49. 


Fig.  147. — Structures  19  to  22,  Xelha. 


Structure  No.  14. — This  stands  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the  plaza. 
Like  13,  it  is  a  platform  mound,  but  on  the  top  is  a  small  shrine,  the  roof  of  which 
has  fallen.  Unlike  most  of  the  buildings  of  this  class  at  Xelha,  it  is  raised  on  a 
step. 

Structures  Nos.  15  and  16. — -The  north  end  of  the  plaza  is  occupied  by  a  plat¬ 
form  mound  on  which  are  two  unimportant  buildings.  At  the  west  end  of  the 
south  side  of  the  substructure  is  a  small  stairway  sunk  in  the  wall. 


141 


Structure  No.  ij. — This  is  a  large  mound  so  badly  ruined  that  its  nature 
could  not  be  determined. 

Structure  No.  18. — This  is  a  low  platform  mound  on  which  is  a  T-shaped 
heap  of  masonry. 

Structures  Nos.  19  and  20. — Structures  19,  20,  and  21  all  stand  on  a  common 
terrace  on  the  east  side  of  the  plaza.  Structure  19  is  a  well-built  shrine  with  two 
rectangular  moldings.  The  exterior  is  smoothly  finished  with  plaster,  but  the 
interior  is  rough  stonework.  There  are  traces  of  red  and  blue  paint  on  the  lintel. 
Against  the  south  wall  a  second  shrine  (structure  20)  was  built  at  a  later  date. 
The  construction  was  very  much  lighter  and  the  mortar  poorer,  so  that  little 
remains  to-day  except  a  heap  of  stones. 

Structure  No.  21. — This  small  temple  stands  on  the  south  end*of  the  platform 
with  19  and  20.  The  masonry  is  of  a  better  class  than  is  usual  on  the  east  coast, 
but  the  back  wall  has  been  demolished  by  a  huge  cedar  tree  which  almost  completely 
fills  the  interior.  The  exterior  walls  have  received  several  layers  of  plaster,  the 


142 


most  recent  ol  which  was  painted  bright  blue.  There  are  two  moldings.  The 
upper  is  the  three-member  type  of  pure  Maya  form,  while  the  lower  is  rectangular, 
a  combination  which  suggests  a  transition  from  Maya  to  Nahua  forms.  The 
vault  was  evenly  terraced,  like  that  in  temple  i.  At  the  north  and  south  ends  of 
the  room,  which  were  not  vaulted,  there  is  a  clear-cut  offset  at  the  height  of  the 
spring  ol  the  vault. 

In  front  ol  temple  21  is  a  small  flight  of  balustraded  stairs.  Below  the  stairs 
are  three  small  altars  2  feet  square  and  a  foot  high,  beyond  which  is  a  low  altar  5 
feet  square. 

Structure  No.  22. — A  three-stepped  pyramid  10  or  15  feet  high  stands  to  the 
south  ol  the  buildings  just  described.  There  is  a  stairway  on  the  west  side  towards 
the  plaza.  On  top  there  was  once  a  building,  but  it  has  completely  crumbled 
away.  However,  traces  of  terracing  on  the  substructure  can  be  seen  at  the  south 
and  west  sides.  So  much  of  the  ground  plan  as  can  be  determined  is  shown  on 
figure  T48,  a. 


Structure  No.  23. — This  is  a  rectangular  platform  3  feet  high.  At  the  east 
end  there  are  traces  of  masonry  which  perhaps  are  the  remains  of  a  shrine  or  small 
temple.  There  are  stairs  on  the  west  side. 

Structure  No.  23. — This  also  is  a  rectangular  platform  mound.  It  is  4  feet 
high  and  has  stairs  on  the  west  side.  There  is  no  trace  of  construction  on  top. 

Structure  No.  23. — In  front  ol  temple  1  is  a  platform  mound  12  feet  square, 
ascended  on  the  east  and  west  sides  by  two  flights  of  lour  steps  each.  The  position 
and  type  of  this  mound  recall  structure  8  at  Tulum,  which  also  is  set  in  front  of 
the  steps  of  the  principal  temple. 

Structures  Nos.  26,  27,  and  28. — These  three  structures  form  a  group  which, 
on  a  miniature  scale,  suggests  an  acropolis  of  the  type  found  in  the  Maya  cities 
of  the  Peten.  The  comparison  is  perhaps  unfair,  because  26  is  so  badly  ruined  that 
its  nature  can  not  be  determined  without  excavation.  Its  present  aspect  is  seen 
from  the  rough  and  perhaps  inaccurate  sketch  ol  figure  149.  Structure  26  to-day 
is  a  large  mound  on  top  ol  which  there  was  once  a  building  (fig.  148,  c).  On  the 
north  side  of  26  is  a  platform  with  stairs  descending  to  the  ground.  Above  this 
platform,  on  a  small  terrace,  stands  27,  which  is  a  large  shrine.  The  roof  and 
upper  part  ol  the  walls  have  fallen,  but  the  door  is  still  complete. 

At  the  east  end  of  the  platform,  fronting  26  and  27,  is  an  irregularly  shaped 
projection  on  which  stands  28.  This  also  is  a  shrine,  still  intact,  though  about 


143 


to  fall.  The  vault  is  just  over  3  feet  high.  There  is  a  single  rectangular  molding. 
Eight  feet  in  front  of  the  door  is  a  small  square  altar. 

Structure  No.  29. — To  the  north  of  the  plaza  several  scattered  mounds  were 
observed,  one  of  which  is  included  on  the  map.  This  appears  to  have  been  a 
terraced  pyramid,  but  is  now  merely  a  pile  of  debris. 

ACOMAL. 

The  most  northern  settlement  of  the  independent  Indians  apparently  is  the 
small  village  of  Acomal,  which  lies  a  couple  of  leagues  north  of  Xelha  Bay.  The 
inhabitants  ot  this  town  visited  us  at  Tulum  and  consented  to  work  for  us  during 
the  greater  part  of  our  time  there.  From  these  men  we  learned  of  the  ruins  of 
Xelha,  and  they  also  stated  that  near  their  own  village  were  remains  of  equal 
importance.  Unfortunately,  we  had  no  opportunity  to  confirm  this  report. 

PLAYA  CARMEN. 

1 

Playa  Carmen  is  a  little  Indian  village  on  the  coast,  8  leagues  south  of  Puerto 
Morales.  The  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  of  1918  passed  a  day  here  and 
noted  several  ancient  edifices.  About  200  yards  south  of  the  modern  houses  are 
two  buildings.  The  smaller  of  these  (structure  1)  has  a  single  doorway  in  the 


2 


\ — IFT 1Pr 

0  5  io  20  Ft. 

<  >  >  ,1 1. 1 1  . -i 


Fig.  150. — Structures  1  and  2,  Playa  Carmen. 


south  fagade  and  simple  rectangular  moldings.  Within  there  is  a  room  containing 
a  sanctuary.  The  sanctuary  is  encircled  by  a  rectangular  molding  and  contains  a 
bench  against  the  back  wall.  Structure  2  is  of  the  same  general  plan,  but  is  larger. 
The  principal  entrance  faces  west  and  is  divided  by  two  round  columns;  there  are 
also  doorways  in  the  north  and  south  walls. 

On  the  southern  edge  of  the  modern  village  is  a  pyramid  15  feet  high,  ascended 
by  steps  on  the  east  side.  T  he  summit  shows  no  trace  of  a  building.  North  of 
the  houses  are  two  single-roomed  edifices  which  stand  side  by  side  on  the  same  plat¬ 
form,  with  their  principal  fagades  facing  the  sea.  One  of  these  is  now  used  by  the 
Indians  for  drying  and  curing  tobacco. 

NISUCTE. 

This  ruin  was  discovered  by  the  Le  Plongeons  in  1877  and  has  not  since  been 
visited  by  archaeologists.  No  adequate  description  has  been  published,  but  Mrs. 
Le  Plongeon  recorded  a  few  lines,  as  follows: 


144 


“There  is  another  of  these  strange  cities  farther  down  the  coast,  called  Nizucte. 
.  .  .  The  largest  building  proved  to  be  a  diminutive  temple,  at  the  entrance  of  which 
were  two  enormous  snake  heads  made  of  concrete;  they  were  embraced  and  encircled 
by  gnarled  roots  that  looked  like  dark  skinned  serpents  entwining  the  mineral  repre¬ 
sentations  of  the  same  reptiles.  Near  by  we  found  two  large  human  legs,  also  concrete, 
and  a  square  pedestal  one  foot  high,  on  which  was  a  symbol  of  the  Phallic  worship,  two 
lobsters  and  a  small  turtle,  all  made  of  concrete.  The  doorway  of  the  temple  was  three 
feet  high  and  one  and  one  half  wide.  The  structure  consisted  of  large,  well-hewn  stones, 
and  the  ceiling  formed  a  triangular  arch  with  capping  stones,  though  outside  the  building 
was  square.” 

EL  MECO. 

The  ruins  of  Fd  Meco  stand  near  the  shore,  a  little  south  of  Mugeres  Island. 
They  were  discovered  by  Le  Plongeon  (1877),  who  has  left  no  adequate  account  of 


Fig.  1 5 1 . — Temple  at  El  Meco  (A  after  Arnold  and  Frost). 


his  visit.  They  were  seen  by  Holmes  (1895),  who  was  able  to  remain  there  only 
a  few  hours,  but  has  produced  the  most  satisfactory  report  yet  published.  Arnold 
and  Frost  also  touched  there  and  have  published  a  photograph  of  the  chief  temple. 
Finally,  the  city  was  explored  by  the  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  of  1918. 


145 


The  principal  edifice  at  El  Meco  is  a  badly  cracked  terraced  pyramid  sur¬ 
mounted  by  a  small  ruined  temple.  The  main  aspect  faces  seaward  and  has  been 
whitewashed  by  the  Mexican  Government  to  serve  as  a  landmark.  The  sub¬ 
structure,  25  feet  high,  rises  in  four  terraces  and  is  ascended  by  a  steep  stairway 


B  C  D  E 


Fig.  152. — Ground-plan  and  restored  elevation  of  temple,  El  Meco. 

with  balustrades.  At  the  base  are  two  small  unsymmetrical  buildings  which  recall 
those  in  front  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum,  which  they  resemble  also  in  ceiling  con¬ 
struction  and  moldings.  As  at  Tulum,  the  northern  building  has  a  flat  beam-and- 
rubble  ceiling  and  a  two-member  molding,  while  the  south  building  has  a  vaulted 


146 


ceiling  and  two  moldings,  one  a  rectangular  band  and  the  other  the  common  two- 
member  type.  The  northern  building  has  two  columns  in  the  doorway. 

The  building  on  the  summit,  indeed  the  whole  edifice,  shows  several  periods 
of  construction.  Holmes1  has  recorded  the  fact  that  the  pyramid  itself  forms  a 
casing  around  the  walls  of  an  older  building,  now  filled  in  solid,  the  presence  of  which 
was  disclosed  by  the  peeling  of  the  masonry  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  pyramid, 
as  in  the  Monjas  at  Chichen  Itza.  The  approximate  relation  of  this  older  building 
to  the  rest  of  the  structure  is  shown  on  figure  1 53,  a.  It  will  be  seen  that  it  was  filled 
in  solid,  completely  surrounded  by  the  terracing  of  the  pyramid,  and  a  small  base 
erected  above  it,  on  which  stood  the  next  construction.  This  probably  was  the 
room  marked  B  on  figures  152  and  1 53.  It  had  a  flat  ceiling  and  the  doorway  may 


Fig.  153. — Cross  section  of  temple,  El  Meco. 


have  been  narrower  than  at  present.  The  next  step  was  to  completely  incase  the 
flat-ceiling  room  in  masonry,  as  was  done  in  the  lower  story  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Frescoes  at  Tulum.  This  masonry  (shown  in  solid  black  on  the  plans)  is  in  contact 
with  the  older  walls  on  three  sides,  but  forms  a  new  room  at  the  rear  of  the  building. 
This  room  is  crudely  vaulted.  Finally,  the  ends  of  the  vaulted  room  were  filled 
in  with  masonry,  evidently  to  strengthen  the  vault.  The  age  of  the  small  edifices 
at  the  bottom  in  relation  to  the  rest  of  the  structure  is  not  clear,  but  they  probably 
antedate  the  building  of  the  vaulted  room  in  the  upper  temple. 

This  building  as  a  whole  is  very  similar  to  the  Castillo  at  Tulum.  In  both 
places  an  older  building  set  on  a  fair-sized  substructure  was  filled  in.  At  Tulum 
only  the  central  portion  was  thus  blocked  up,  leaving  rooms  on  either  side  which 
form  the  second  range.  At  El  Meco  the  older  building  was  completely  filled  in,  as 


1 1895,  P-  72- 


147 


it  was  not  long  enough  to  form  wings  like  those  at  Tulum.  In  each  case  an  upper 
story  was  erected  on  the  base  thus  formed  and  two  small  buildings  were  added  on 
the  ground-level.  We  judge,  however,  that  the  upper  story  at  El  Meco  is  older 
than  that  at  Tulum,  because  the  latter  is  vaulted,  whde  the  former  was  partially 
built  before  the  flat  ceiling  was  abandoned  and  the  vault  reintroduced.  At  all 
events,  the  building  at  El  Meco  seems  more  crudely  constructed  than,  and  the  pro¬ 
portions  of  the  facade  are  by  no  means  as  pleasing  as,  those  of  the  Castillo  at  Tulum. 

In  front  of  the  temple  we  have  described  is  a  badly  ruined  mound,  which  can 
be  seen  in  figure  151,  a.  It  corresponds  to  similarly  placed  mounds  at  Xelha, 
I .ulum,  Chacmool,  etc.  This  mound  and  the  pyramid  stand  in  the  center  of  a 
courtyard  the  sides  of  which  are  formed  by  buildings  which  have  not  yet  been 
individually  surveyed.  Elolmes  {op.  cit .) 
writes: 

“Possibly  there  has  never  been  a  build¬ 
ing  on  the  north  side  facing  the  marsh,  but 
on  the  west  and  east  sides  there  have  been 
long  buildings  with  heavy  walls  and  rows  of 
round  columns  which  still  stand  in  many 
cases  to  their  full  height — some  six  or  seven 
feet.  These  columns  doubtless  supported 
the  roofs  of  the  buildings  which  were,  in 
places  at  least,  thatched,1 2  as  there  is  not 
enough  debris  to  indicate  the  existence  of 
stone  arches.  On  the  south  side  there  are  a 
number  of  ruins,  mostly  of  a  similar  char¬ 
acter  but  apparently  not  symmetrically 
arranged,  serving  to  enclose  the  court  some¬ 
what  completely  on  that  side.  In  front  of 
the  pyramid  and  20  feet  from  the  base  of  the 
stairway  is  the  ruin  of  a  small  temple  or 
shrine,  like  those  seen  on  the  islands,  ap-  Fig.  154.— Objects  from  a  grave  at  Kantunil 
proached  from  the  east  and  west  by  steps  (after  Stephens), 

four  or  five  in  number.  At  the  south  east 

angle  of  the  court,  and  connected  with  the  main  eastern  ruin,  is  the  base  of  a  temple  with 
several  rooms,  and  a  stairway  the  sides  of  which  were  finished  with  serpent  balustrades, 
the  large  heads  resting  on  the  ground  as  in  some  better  known  Yucatec  examples.  We 
were  informed  that  other  ruins  are  scattered  through  the  forest,  indicating  a  settlement 
of  importance,  but  there  was  no  time  to  search  for  them.” 

KANTUNIL. 

This  site  has  never  been  visited  by  an  archaeologist,  but,  while  at  Chemax, 
Stephens'-  learned — 

[Therej  “were  several  mounds,  in  one  of  which,  while  excavating  tor  stone  to  be  used 
in  building,  the  Indians  had  discovered  a  sepulchre  containing  three  skeletons  .... 

“At  the  head  of  the  skeletons  were  two  large  vases  of  terra  cotta,  with  covers  of  the 
same  material.  In  one  of  these  was  a  large  collection  of  Indian  ornaments,  beads,  stones, 

1  In  the  light  of  the  common  use  of  the  beam-and-rubble  ceiling,  we  believe  that  this  type  of  roof  is  more  probable 
than  thatch,  although  the  latter  is  by  no  means  impossible. 

2  1843,  vol.  11,  p.  341. 


148 


and  two  carved  shells,  which  are  represented  in  the  following  engraving.  The  carving  on 
the  shells  is  in  bas-relief,  and  very  perfect;  the  subject  is  the  same  in  both.  .  .  .  The 
other  vase  was  filled  nearly  to  the  top  with  arrow  heads,  not  of  flint  but  of  obsidian.  .  . 

The  presence  of  obsidian  blades  recalls  similar  finds  in  British  Honduras  and 
eastern  Peten,  where  such  objects,  usually  of  eccentric  shapes,  have  turned  up  in 
small  hoards.  Their  use  is  unknown,  but  can  not  well  have  been  utilitarian. 

MUGERES  ISLAND. 

The  island  of  Mugeres,  a  few  miles  away  from  El  Meco,  is  a  narrow  strip  of 
land  several  miles  long.  The  low  northern  end  is  joined  to  the  neighboring  island 
of  Blanca  by  a  shallow,  surf-beaten  reef,  but  towards  the  south  the  land  obtains  a 
considerable  elevation  and  terminates  in  an  abrupt  cliff.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
island  are  the  town  and  harbor  of  Dolores,  for  centuries  the  resort  of  pirates  and 
smugglers. 


Fig.  155. — Mugeres  Island:  A,  southern  point;  B,  temple. 

(After  Holmes.) 


The  description  of  the  Punta  de  Mugeres  left  us  by  Bernal  Diaz  del  Castillo 
has  been  previously  quoted  (p.  14).  Another  account  of  the  island,1  written  in 
1 579,  declares  that  “in  it  there  is  no  population  although  it  appears  that  the  said 
island  was  peopled  in  ancient  times  for  there  are  some  antique  edifices.” 

The  ruins  now  known  stand  at  the  extreme  southern  tip  of  the  island  (figs. 
155  and  156,  c)  and  were  first  described  by  Stephens  and  Catherwood.  The 


1  Relaciones  de  Yucatan ,  vol.  n,  p.  173. 


149 


next  account  was  written  by’  Salisbury  on  data  furnished  by  Le  Plongeon,  whose 
survey  was  made  in  1877.  The  best  and  most  satisfactory  description  is  from  the 
pen  ol  Holmes,  who  went  to  Yucatan  in  1895.  Finally,  the  site  was  visited  by  the 
Carnegie  Institution  expedition  ol  1918. 

The  principal  temple  stands  on  the  actual  edge  of  the  cliff  and  one  end  has  fallen 
into  the  sea,  which  is  constantly  undermining  the  land.  The  building  is  highly 


Fig.  156. — Temple  on  Mugeres  Island  (after  Holmes). 


conspicuous  from  coasting-vessels,  which  customarily  pass  close  to  the  shore  at  this 
point.  It  stands  on  a  low  platform  with  a  wide  cornice  at  the  top,  ascended  by  stairs 
rising  between  unusually  massive  balustrades.  Holmes  comments  on  the  unusual 
size  of  some  ol  the  stone  blocks  in  the  substructure.  The  fagade  is  quite  typical 
ol  the  east  coast  and  has  a  sunken  panel  over  the  door  and 
two  moldings,  one  rectangular  and  the  other  with  two 
members.  The  nature  ol  the  interior  and  the  character  of 
the  vaulting  are  admirably  brought  out  by  Holmes’s  draw¬ 
ing  on  figure  156,  b.  The  sides  of  the  vault  are  unusually 
flat  and  are  braced  by  wooden  beams. 

At  the  time  of  Le  Plongeon’s  visit  a  small  rectangular 
altar  stood  4  meters  in  front  of  the  steps.  Near  this  was 
discovered  the  large  incense-burner  ol  which  we  show 
Iragments  on  plate  9,  g,  j. 

Another  and  more  badly  ruined  building,  which  stands  Fig.  H7-  Ground-plan 
a  few  hundred  feet  to  the  northwest,  is  shown  on  figure  sma^  tejmple,  Mu_ 

157.  The  ground  plan  which  we  publish  differs  from  the 

plans  of  Holmes  and  Le  Plongeon  in  the  number  ol  stairways  and  the  circular 
outline  of  the  substructure.  This  platform  is  over  6  feet  high  and  supports  a 
building  so  badly  ruined  that  no  more  than  the  doors  and  corners  are  now 
discernible. 

On  the  southwestern  shore  of  the  island  is  a  great  dump  of  conch-shells.  On 
top  of  the  slope  formed  by  the  shells  are  the  foundations  of  a  small  stone  house 
measuring  12  by  9  feet,  with  a  doorway  2.5  feet  wide  in  the  west  wall. 


150 


CANCUEN. 

The  island  ol  Cancuen  or  Cancun,  a  narrow  strip  of  sand  with  occasional 
outcroppings  of  limestone,  is  1 6  miles  long;  it  lies  to  the  south  ol  Mugeres  Island 
and  a  considerable  distance  north  ol  Cozumel.  The  largest  of  the  several  groups 
ol  ruins  was  first  noted  by  Holmes.  The  only  map  yet  published,  which  we  repro¬ 
duce  with  the  addition  ol  numbers  to  designate  the  buildings,  was  brought  out  by 
Arnold  and  Frost  (fig.  158).  The  island  was  later  visited  by  an  expedition  ol  the 
Peabody  Museum.  Their  survey,  when  published, 
will  cover  the  ruins  much  more  thoroughly  than 
we  can  attempt  here.1  Our  description  of  the 

Institution  expedition  of  1918  and  on  previously 
published  notices. 

Group  /. — The  most  important  group  ol 
buildings  is  situated,  according  to  Holmes,  on 
the  west  side  of  the  island,  about  a  mile  from  the 
southern  end.  The  two  largest  edifices  (struc¬ 
tures  1  and  2)  are  colonnaded  halls  ol  consider¬ 
able  size.  Although  the  plan  on  figure  158  shows 
no  walls,  the  description  speaks  ol  “fallen  walls,” 
and  Mr.  S.  G.  Morley  remembers  seeing  them, 
although  he  took  no  notes  on  the  buildings. 

According  to  Arnold  and  Frost2 — 

[Structure  2]  “stood  on  a  stone  platform  90  feet 
long  and  33  feet  wide.  The  building  itself  measured  Fig.  158— Plan  of  ruins,  island  of 

60  by  17  feet,  and  in  two  rows  down  the  centre  were  Cancuen  (after  Arnold  and 

immense  pillars,  many  monolithic  and  some  as  much  Frost), 

as  8.5  feet  high  ....  Around  the  platform  on  the 

ground  level  was  a  paved  walk  16  feet  wide,  now  buried  under  fallen  walls.  The 
building  on  the  north  (structure  1)  was  no  better  preserved.  It  was  exactly  the  same 
except  that  it  has  three  rows  of  pillars  ....’’ 

This  account  does  not  explain  the  two  pillars  at  the  southwest  corner  ol  the 
building,  a  feature  also  observed  at  Chacmool.  Structure  3  is  a  terraced  pyramid 
with  a  badly  ruined  house  on  the  summit.  Its  exact  nature  has  not  yet  been  deter¬ 
mined  by  any  visitor.  Structure  4,  however,  we  shall  describe  in  more  detail, 
as  it  was  partially  measured  in  1918. 

This  building  stands  on  a  rectangular  platform  about  4  feet  high  and  faces 
westward  towards  a  small  courtyard.  The  fagade  is  of  unusual  interest,  for  it 
exhibits  a  battered  base  like  that  found  on  the  upper  story  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Frescoes  at  Tulum;  the  lintel  and  door-jambs  are  recessed  like  those  in  the  same 
building  at  Tulum.  These  two  edifices  are  the  only  known  east-coast  examples 
of  this  treatment  of  the  lower  mural  zone.  The  molding  of  structure  4  is  unusually 


ruins  is  based  on  a  visit  paid  by  the  Carnegie 


1 1  am  indebted  to  Professor  Tozzer  for  an  opportunity  to  examine  Mr.  Merwin’s  field  notes,  but  have  not  made  use 
of  the  material  contained  therein. 

2  1909,  p.  150. 


151 


Fig.  159. — Cancuen:  A,  west  fagade  of  structure  4;  B,  mined  building  in  second 

group. 

Fragments  of  the  figure  in  the  exterior  wall-niche,  including  the  head,  were 
discovered  and  published  by  Arnold  and  Frost,1  who,  to  secure  a  better  light  for  a 
photograph,  carried  fragments  to  the  steps  of  the  near-by  pyramid.  The  head 
was  discovered  there  and  rephotographed  in  1918.  It  is  an  important  piece, 
because  it  is  the  only  example  of  its  class  from  the  east  coast  on  which  the  features 
have  not  been  mutilated.  The  face  itself,  which  appears  similar  to  some  of  the 
large  pottery  heads,  is  surmounted  by  a  large  head-dress  containing  an  animal 


heavy  and  is  one  of  those  cases  in  which  it  is  difficult  to  decide  whether  we  are 
dealing  with  a  three-member  molding,  like  structure  1  at  Xelha,  or  with  a  two- 
member  molding  surmounted  by  a  wall-space  which  slopes  outward.  Another 
example  of  this  type  is  seen  on  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  at  Tulum.  The 
upper  wall-space  between  the  doors  contains  a  niche  which  was  once  occupied  by  a 
stucco  figure.  The  chief  feature  of  the  interior  is  the  succession  of  steps  in  the 
vault.  The  back  room  has  fallen  in,  but  has  been  restored  on  figure  160. 


1  Op.  cit .,  pp.  140  and  240. 


152 


head.  The  body  has  apparently  been  completely  broken  up,  but  the  whole  very 
likely  represented  the  Diving  god,  of  which  so  many  examples  have  been  seen  at 
Tulum. 

Group  2. — In  an  open  field  some  distance  south  of  the  ruins  described  is 
another  group  of  three  buildings,  one  of  which  is  shown  on  figure  162.  It  has 
a  square  column  in  the  doorway  and  three  round  columns  in  the  center  line  of 


the  single  chamber.  Both  these  features  are  rare.  Another  unusual  building  is 
shown  in  figure  163.  It  is  badly  ruined  and  the  elevation  has  been  largely  restored. 
Its  length  is  about  90  feet. 

In  addition  to  the  ruins  described,  there  seem  to  be  many  others.  Arnold 
and  Frost  mention  a  mound  on  the  north  end  of  the  island  and  “another  small 
ruin”  on  Nisuc  Point  at  the  south  end.  Holmes  ap¬ 
parently  also  saw  other  buildings.  Merwin  discovered 
several  groups,  yet  to  be  published,  as  large  and  impor¬ 
tant  as  those  we  have  described.  The  name  of  one  of 
these,  Tamul,  is  mentioned  in  Howe’s  report  on  Tulum. 

COZUMEL  ISLAND. 


20  Ft. 


Fig.  162. — Ground-plan  of 
a  building,  Cancuen. 


Cozumel  is  roughly  rhomboidal  in  shape,  and  there 
are  said  to  be  ruins  on  each  of  the  corners,  as  well  as  in 
the  interior.  The  land  is  composed  of  stratified  layers  of 
Recent  limestone  and  rarely  rises  more  than  30  or  40  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
modern  population  is  found,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  towns  of  San  Miguel  and 
El  Cedral,  at  the  northwest  and  southwest  corners  of  the  island,  respectively. 

According  to  the  Motul  dictionary,  the  aboriginal  name  was  Ah-cuzamil-peten , 
“The  Swallow  Island,”  of  which  the  present  name  is  a  Spanish  corruption.  The 
epithets  oycen  and  oycib  were  also  applied  to  it.1 


1  Cen  means  “ornament”  and  cib  means  “wax,  candle,  copal”;  oy  is  an  interjection.  I  am  unable  to  supply  a  satis¬ 
factory  translation  of  these  terms. 


153 


During  the  ascendency  of  the  Cocomes  the  island  of  Cozumel  is  said  to  have 
been  subject  to  them,  but  when  the  Spaniards  arrived  it  had  a  lord  of  its  own, 
Ah  Naum  Pat,  who  was  extremely  helpful  to  the  Spanish  cause. 

In  the  days  of  its  gentility,  Cozumel  was  a  great  religious  center  and  place 
of  pilgrimage,  and  some  writers,  such  as  Cogolludo,  say  that  it  occupied  a  position 
similar  to  Rome  in  the  Catholic  hierarchy.  Three  deities  were  especially  wor¬ 
shiped  on  this  island:  Teel  Cuzam ,  Ahulneb ,  and  Ixchel.  Teel  Cuzam ,  the  “Swallow- 
is  the  divinity  from  whom  the  island  takes  its  name.  We  know  nothing 
more  about  him,  and  I  have  searched  the  codices  and  wall  paintings  in  vain  for 
a  figure  answering  this  description.  Ahulneb  or  Ahulane  was  “very  peculiar  and 
they  painted  him  with  an  arrow”  (in  his  hand).1  So  many  and  evidently  different 
deities  in  the  codices  answer  this  description  that  again  identification  is  impossible. 


0  5  10  20  30  Ft. 

Fig.  163. — Plan  and  elevation  of  a  building,  Cancuen. 

Ixchel ,  “the  Lady  of  the  Rainbow,”  is  the  wife  of  Itzamna  and  goddess  of  Medi¬ 
cine.  To  her  shrine  on  Cozumel  pilgrims  flocked  from  all  parts  of  Yucatan  and 
even  from  distant  Tabasco  and  Chiapas.  The  supplicant,  it  is  said,  was  sent  to 
consult  the  alkin  or  priest,  who  in  turn  consulted  the  idol  of  the  goddess,  which 
gave  the  proper  answer  by  means  of  some  hidden  mechanism.  De  Landa2  says 
that  Ixchel  was  especially  invoked  by  prospective  mothers,  who  placed  her  image 
beneath  their  beds.  On  the  day  7  Zip  the  Maya  held  the  feast  of  Kinich  Ahau 
Itzamna ,  and  on  the  following  day  came  the  festival  of  Ihcil-Ixchel ,  when  the 
priests  exposed  the  contents  of  their  bags,  including  little  images  of  Ixchel  and 
the  divining-stones  called  am. 

The  Spaniards  came  to  Cozumel  at  an  early  date  and  occupied  it  without 
resistance  on  the  part  of  the  natives.  Here  Cortes  set  up  the  cross  and  held  mass 
in  1519.  However,  the  islanders  retained  many  of  their  native  ceremonies  for 


1  Apuntes  sobre  la  historia  de  Yucatan.  Anonymous  manuscript  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris. 

2  1864,  p.  195. 


years  to  come,  partly  because  the  population  was  augmented  by  many  natives, 
who  Hed  to  the  islands  to  avoid  the  persecution  of  the  mainland.  In  1639,  Sanchez 
de  Aguilar  reported  that  the  Indians  of  Cozumel  held  their  native  dances  and 
sacrificed  a  dog  before  embarking  for  the  mainland.  When  he  took  the  cura  of 
Cozumel  to  task  for  allowing  this,  he  was  told  that  any  priest  who  attempted  to 
stop  them  would  be  upset  in  a  canoe  “accidentally”  in  deep  water,  as  indeed 
actually  happened  to  the  successor  of  the  informant  and  cost  him  his  life. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Cozumel  was  repeatedly  raided  by  pirates  during 
the  seventeenth  century.  When  visited  by  Stephens  in  1842  it  was  deserted. 
Since  that*  time  the  population  has  gradually  increased.  To-day  it  is  said  that 
more  than  half  of  the  people  are  Cuban  rather  than  Yucatecan  in  origin. 

SAN  MIGUEL  (COZUMEL). 

The  ruins  near  the  present  town  of  San  Miguel  are  probably  those  described 
by  Juan  Diaz  in  a  passage  previously  cited  (p.  14).  In  modern  times  they 
have  been  visited  by  Stephens,  the  Le 
Plongeons,1  Arnold  and  Frost,  Holmes, 
and  Howe,  who  called  the  ruins  here 
described  “Santa  Rita  Ranch.” 

Near  the  modern  village  of  San 
Miguel  are  the  crumbling  remains  of  a 
Spanish  church,  built  and  abandoned 
no  one  knows  when.  In  front  of  the 
church  Stephens2  describes  a  “building 
raised  upon  a  terrace,  consisting  of  a 
single  apartment,  20  feet  front  and  6 
feet  10  inches  deep,  having  two  door¬ 
ways  and  a  back  wall  7  feet  thick. 

The  height  is  10  feet,  the  arch  is  tri¬ 
angular,  and  on  the  walls  are  the 
remains  of  paintings.”  In  1895, 

Holmes  found  this  edifice  a  “shapeless 
mound.” 

Northwest  of  this  structure  and 
about  200  feet  from  the  sea,  Stephens 
describes  another  building,  now  com¬ 
pletely  disintegrated,  which  he  illustrates  by  the  accompanying  engraving.  His 
text  reads: 

“It  stands  on  a  terrace,  and  has  steps  on  all  four  sides.  The  building  measures 
sixteen  feet  square;  it  had  four  doors  facing  the  cardinal  points,  and,  as  will  be  seen  by 
the  figure  of  a  man  sitting  on  the  steps,  it  is  very  low.  The  exterior  is  plain  stone,  but 
was  formerly  stuccoed  and  painted,  traces  of  which  are  still  visible.  The  doorways  open 
into  a  narrow  corridor  only  twenty  inches  wide,  which  encompasses  a  small  room  only 
8  feet  6  inches  long  and  5  feet  wide,  having  a  doorway  opening  in  the  centre.” 


Fig.  164. — Building  at  San  Miguel,  Cozumel 
Island  (alter  Stephens). 


1  Casual  references  to  the  ruins  will  he  found  in  Mrs.  Le  Plongeon’s  “Here  and  There  in  Yucatan.” 

2  1843,  vol.  II,  p.  373. 


155 


Stephens  identifies  this  building  with  the  “towers”  seen  by  Grijalva. 

About  a  mile  north  of  San  Miguel,  Holmes'  notes  the  presence  of  two  other 
buildings  several  hundred  yards  from  the  shore. 


[One  of  these  was  a]  “pyramidal  mass  some  60  feet  long  by  40  wide,  and  25  feet 
high,  with  traces  of  a  temple  on  its  summit,  and  a  minute,  nearly  obliterated  chamber 
with  a  small  doorway  of  the  usual  character,  near  the  base  at  one  end.  The  other  (fig. 
166)  is  a  little  farther  on  and  proved  to  be  of  great  interest  though  in  an  advanced  state 
of  ruin  .... 


“The  terrace  on  which  the  temple 
stands  is  4  or  5  feet  high,  20  feet  in 
length  from  north  to  south,  and,  as 
nearly  as  can  be  ascertained  by  present 
exposures,  about  20  feet  wide.  The 
facing  has  been  of  hewn,  or  partially 
hewn  stone,  somewhat  irregular  in  form 
but  well  laid  in  mortar.  No  trace  of  a 
stairway  is  visible.  The  temple  was 
perhaps  not  over  16  feet  square,  and 
contained  an  outer  room  or  corridor  10 
feet  in  length  by  4  in  width,  and  2 
small  chambers  back  of  it,  one  of  which 
was  5  by  7  feet  in  horizontal  dimen¬ 
sions  (see  fig.  166).  The  full  height  of 
the  rooms  was  little  more  than  6  feet; 
the  walls  are  little  more  than  2  feet 
thick  and  the  arches,  as  usual,  are 
formed  by  the  gradually  approaching 
side  walls,  held  together  at  the  top  by 
slabs  of  stone  forming  a  narrow  ceiling. 

Small  portions  of  the  roof,  constructed 
of  stone  and  covered  with  cement,  still 
remain. 

“The  distinguishing  feature  of  this 
little  temple  is  the  remarkable  column 
which  has  sculptured  upon  its  front  the 
large,  ape-visaged  figure  shown  in  figure 
165  ...  .  The  figure  is  that  of  a 
female,  and  is  possibly  the  only  re¬ 
maining  representative,  so  far  as  dis-  Fig.  165. — Temple  at  San  Miguel,  Cozumel  Island 
covered,  of  the  idolatrous  sculptures  so  (after  Holmes), 

generally  cast  out  of  the  temples  by  the 

Spaniards.  The  figure,  column,  and  capital  are  all  in  one  piece,  which  is  of  the  ordinary 
porous  limestone.  Originally  the  surface  was  covered  with  plaster  and  paint.  In 
parts  protected  from  the  weather  as  many  as  six  successive  layers  of  plaster  are  seen, 
each  application  in  turn  having  received  a  coat  of  red,  blue  or  green  paint,  which  would 
seem  to  indicate  a  somewhat  long-continued  occupancy  of  the  building.  Encircling  the 
front  of  the  column  over  the  sculptured  head  are  painted  or  imprinted  four  red  hands, 
a  feature  occurring  with  considerable  frequency  in  the  ancient  Maya  structures.  The 
lintel  stones,  two  of  which  remain  in  place,  are  large  and  evenly  cut  on  the  exposed 


1 1895,  p.  65. 


156 


sides,  and  these  and  all  the  walls  have  been  finished,  as  was  the  sculptured  column,  in 
plaster  and  washes  of  color.” 


The  figure  sculptured  on  the  pillar  is  certainly  not  common,  although  we 
recall  others  at  the  ruins  of  Dsecilna.1  Their  rarity  is  probably  due  to  the  fact 
that  similar  figures  in  stucco  have  flaked  off. 

Arnold  and  Frost  report  that  these  buildings  have  been  used  as  stone  quarries 
within  recent  years.  In  the  town  of  San  Miguel  they  saw  large  piles  of  stones 
which  had  been  taken  from  the  ruins,  including  “a  remarkable  carving  represent¬ 
ing  a  figure  of  a  god  seated  cross-legged,  in  true  Buddhist  attitude,  in  a  niche.” 

EL  CEDRAL  (COZUMEL). 

Fifteen  miles  down  the  west  shore  of  Cozumel  from  San  Miguel  and  3  miles 
from  the  sea  lies  the  little  village  of  El  Cedral,  also  the  site  of  aboriginal  ruins. 
Holmes2  writes: 

“Here  two  fairly  well  preserved  structures 
were  encountered,  while  others,  almost  wholly 
destroyed  by  modern  builders,  were  traceable, 
thus  indicating  an  ancient  occupancy  of  more 
than  usual  importance.  In  the  centre  of  the  vil¬ 
lage  is  a  small  temple  resembling  somewhat  that 
on  Mugeres  island  ....  It  occupies  the  margin 
of  an  ancient  terrace  some  5  feet  high,  100  feet 
long  on  the  front  and  considerably  less  in  width. 

Beside  it  on  the  other  margin  of  the  terrace  is  the 
village  church  ....  The  ground  plan  of  the 
ruin  shows  two  oblong  chambers,  each  about  4 
feet  6  inches  in  width,  16  feet  in  length,  and  10 
feet  high.  The  front  room  is  entered  by  a  centrally  placed  outer  doorway,  now  much 
broken  down,  while  the  inner  room  is  reached  by  a  second  doorway  directly  behind  the 
first.  The  interior  walls  are  6  feet  high  to  the  spring  of  the  arch,  and  above  this  the  oppo¬ 
site  sides  approach  each  other,  reaching  the  ceiling  stones  some  4  feet  higher.  The 
inner  door  is  4  feet  6  inches  high  by  2  feet  wide.  The  lintel  stone,  6  inches  thick  and  3 
feet  long,  is  set  back  a  few  inches,  leaving  a  shallow  depression  in  the  front  which  was 
plastered  and  is  said  by  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  village  to  have  been  covered  with 
painted  figures  or  glyphs.  The  exterior  walls  and  roof  are  for  the  most  part  well  pre¬ 
served,  and  the  whole  construction  is  uniform  in  character  with  other  buildings  of  its  class. 

“A  similar  structure  containing  but  one  chamber  is  found  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  village.  Near  it  and  on  the  same  broken  down  terrace,  which  is  perhaps  25 
by  45  feet  in  horizontal  dimensions,  and  4  feet  high,  are  the  foundations  of  another  sim¬ 
ilar  building.  The  standing  temple  or  house  is  only  10  by  15  feet  in  dimensions  and  the 
single  room  is  about  5  by  9  feet.  The  door,  walls  and  arch  are  as  usual.  The  section, 
fig.  167,  extending  from  front  to  back,  indicates  approximately  the  construction.  The 
rather  roughly  laid  exterior  walls  were  plastered,  and  the  surface  varied  by  two  bands  of 
moulding,  the  lower  5  feet  from  the  ground  and  the  upper  at  the  top,  the  whole  height 
being  10  or  1 1  feet.” 


Fig.  166. — Ground-plan  of  small  temple 
at  San  Miguel  (after  Holmes). 


1  Maler:  Teobert  Maler  und  seine  Erforschung  der  Ruinen  Yukatans.  In  Globus,  vol.  lxviii,  No.  18,  Oct.  1895, 
p.  283  and  plate  19. 

2  1895,  p.  68. 


157 


At  the  southern  margin  of  the  village  was  a  court  some  hundred  feet  square, 
inclosed  by  the  remains  of  four  buildings  from  which  the  veneer  ol  stones  had 
been  stripped  by  the  modern  villagers.  The  archway  shown  in  figure  1 68  opens 
through  the  northern  tier  of  buildings  near  the  west  corner.  It  is  io  feet  high, 
6  feet  wide,  and  8  feet  thick.  On  the  east  side  of  the  court,  near  the  north  end, 


Fig.  i  67. — Section  of  a  building  near  El 
Cedral,  Cozumel  (after  Holmes). 


Fig.  168. — Archway  in  quadrangular 
ruins  in  the  village  of  El  Cedral 
(after  Holmes). 


Fig.  169. — Ruins  of  San  Benito,  Cozumel 
(after  Arnold  and  Frost). 


is  a  second  arch  in  a  very  ruinous  condition.  The  southern  building  contained 
a  number  of  round  columns.  At  the  northeast  corner  is  a  ridge  of  debris  6  feet 
high,  20  feet  wide,  and  60  feet  long,  which  extends  to  the  northeast.  Near  the 
center  of  the  court  is  another  fallen  structure  some  20  feet  square. 

SAN  BENITO. 

The  English  travelers  Arnold  and  Frost1  crossed  from  San  Miguel,  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Cozumel,  to  the  east  coast  of  the  island.  A  few  miles  before 


1  1909,  p.  174  et  seq. 


158 


their  trail  reached  the  coast  they  came  to  a  spring  known  as  San  Benito,  near 
which  were  the  “relics  of  an  Indian  town,”  which  they  did  not  describe.  They 
searched  the  interior  of  this  part  of  the  island  for  some  time,  however,  and  dis¬ 
covered  two  groups  of  ruins  which  are  discussed  in  detail.  These  remains  are 
between  San  Miguel  and  San  Benito. 

Croup  i. — The  first  group  of  ruins  (fig.  169,  a)  consisted  of  six  structures. 
At  the  north  end  were  twin  buildings  “standing  a  lew  yards  apart  on  small  terraces 
about  8  feet  high  and  facing  southeast.  Both  two-roomed,  they  each  measured 
40  feet  by  27,  a  small  platform  extending  towards  the  southeast  making  each 
terrace  a  solid  block  40  feet  square.”  These  edifices  were  unornamented  save 
the  interior  of  the  eastern  one,  which  bore  imprints  of  the  red  hand  set  in  a 
“scrollwork  pattern  of  the  same  tint,  giving  it  the  appearance  oi  a  frame.” 

“Fifty  yards  in  front  of  these  two  buildings  stood  a  third  facing  west  and  measuring 
80  feet  by  30  and  consisting  of  a  small  one-roomed  house  and  a  pillared  temple,  the  roofs 
of  which  had  both  fallen.  Here,  as  at  Cancun,  we  were  struck  by  the  prevalence  of  the 
rounded  pillars.  Half-way  between  the  first  and  second  ruins  were  the  remains  of  two 
more  buildings,  but  these  were  so  shattered  as  to  defy  any  attempts  at  a  suggestion  of 
what  they  had  been  like.  At  the  back  of  the  first  set,  standing  isolated  in  the  bush, 
was  a  remarkable  monolithic  rounded  pillar  close  on  9  feet  high.” 

This  column  may  have  been  a  stela,  once  plastered  and  painted,  or  perhaps 
one  of  the  whipping-posts  which  the  Indians  are  said  to  have  set  up  in  the  Yucatec 
towns. 

Group  2. — The  second  group  of  ruins  (fig.  169,  b)  stood  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  westward  of  those  described.  They  consist  of  three  large  juxtaposed  mounds 
with  no  traces  of  building  on  the  top,  but  with  a  small  single-roomed  structure  at 
the  base  of  one  of  them.  This  type  of  constructuion  has  already  been  described 
on  the  mainland  at  Tancah  and  Xelha.  About  100  yards  from  these  mounds  was 
a  pyramid  with  a  single  stairway  surmounted  by  a  two-roomed  building.  This 
had  unusually  small  doorways  and  was  devoid  of  decoration. 

In  the  general  vicinity  of  these  ruins  remnants  of  stone  walls  were  encountered 
in  the  bush.  These  doubtless  were  like  the  ones  observed  near  Tulum  and  were 
the  boundaries  of  cleared  fields  or .  house-lots,  although  they  may  have  been 
defensive  in  character,  as  is  suspected  by  Arnold  and  Frost.  Several  finds  of 
axes,  pottery,  beads,  etc.,  were  made  in  the  ruins. 

A  NAMELESS  RUIN. 

Prince  William  of  Sweden,1  who  visited  Cozumel  in  1920,  describes  a  ruined 
city  in  “the  interior  of  the  island”  in  the  following  words: 

“In  a  newly  cleared  space  lay  a  number  of  ruins  of  typical  Maya  buildings  and 
pointed  burial  mounds.  All  were  in  a  sad  state  of  decay.  The  largest,  which  the  In¬ 
dians  called  ‘The  Church, ’lay  apart,  on  a  little  elevation,  with  distinct  remains  of  a 
surrounding  circular  wall.  Two-thirds  of  the  height  of  the  wall  was  decorated  with  a 
simple  frieze.  The  building  was  sufficiently  well  preserved  to  enable  one  to  enter  through 
a  narrow  aperture.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  within,  however,  but  bare  walls,  and  hun¬ 
dreds  of  bats,  that  flew  into  the  faces  of  the  obtruders. 


1 1922,  pp.  97,  98. 


159 


“  In  one  of  the  smaller  temples  the  sacrificial  altar  was  still  remaining  ....  On 
the  floor  lay  a  large  stone,  shaped  like  a  keyhole,  presumably  a  piece  of  ornamental 
work  which  had  been  set  up  above  the  door.  We  dug  through  and  examined  the  place, 
unearthing  a  number  of  fragments  of  bone  and  earthware.” 

Measurements  and  photographs  of  this  ruin  have  been  deposited  in  the 
Riksmuseum  at  Stockholm. 

OTHER  REMAINS  ON  COZUMEL. 

Other  ruined  cities  undoubtedly  exist  on  the  island  of  Cozumel,  incompletely 
recorded  or  still  awaiting  discovery.  Mrs.  Le  Plongeon  speaks  of  small  buildings 
standing  within  sight  of  the  west  coast, 
at  one  of  which  was  a  stone  snake’s 
head.1  In  1851,  Mr.  James  Kennedy 
visited  the  island  and  opened  several 
tombs  the  locality  of  which  is  not 
stated.  Burial  furniture  included 
chipped-stone  implements,  copper  im¬ 
plements,  figures  of  divinities  with 
hawks’  heads,  images  of  turtles,  incense- 
burners,  and  pottery  vases. 

CACAKAL. 

During  the  recent  war  with  the 
Santa  Cruz  Indians  the  Mexican 
Government  constructed  a  railroad, 
known  as  the  Ferrocariles  Nacionales 
de  Quintana  Roo,  from  Yigia  Chico  on 
the  coast  to  Chan  Santa  Cruz,  the 
Indian  capital.  To  prevent  the  trains 
from  being  rushed  by  the  Indians,  it 
was  necessary  to  clear  the  jungle  on 
each  side  of  the  road  for  100  feet. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  track  at  kilo¬ 
meter  42  (station  D)  in  this  campo 
del  tiro  is  a  group  of  ruined  buildings 
which  were  visited  by  the  Carnegie  Institution  expedition  of  1918. 

The  only  edifice  still  standing  is  a  small  two-storied  shrine  set  on  a  low  plat¬ 
form  with  the  main  aspect  facing  west.  There  are  four  doorways  on  the  ground 
floor,  each  having  the  usual  recessed  lintel.  The  room  thus  entered  is  almost 
completely  blocked  by  a  large  masonry  pier,  formerly  painted  bright  blue,  which 
was  erected  to  support  the  upper  story.  The  passageway  around  this  pier  is 
little  over  a  foot  wide  and  3  feet  high.  The  second  story,  which  has  but  one 
door,  is  directly  superimposed  on  the  lower  story — a  feature  but  rarely  found  in 
Maya  architecture. 

1 1889,  P-  37- 


Fig.  170. — Two-storied  shrine  at  the  ruins  of 
Cacakal. 


160 


Definite  information  was  obtained  that  a  cross  3  feet  high  had  surmounted 
this  building  when  it  was  discovered  by  the  Mexicans  in  1902.  In  fact,  it  is  said 
that  General  Manuel  Sanchez  Ribera  placed  camp  D  at  kilometer  42  for  this 
reason.  It  is  also  said  that  in  1902  there  were  four  other  two-storied  edifices 
standing,  though  only  this  one  had  a  cross  on  top.  A  short  distance  south  of  the 
structure  described  is  a  platform  mound  27  feet  long,  16  feet  broad,  and  3.5  feet 
high.  Numerous  other  mounds  are  near  by. 

Near  the  edge  of  the  campo  del  tiro  is  a  partly  artificial  reservoir  one  hundred 
odd  feet  across.  Advantage  had  obviously  been  taken  of  a  natural  depression, 
which  was  inclosed  in  roughly  laid  walls. 


Fig.  171. — Plan  and  cross-section  of  shrine, 
Cacakal. 


Fig.  172. — Plan  and  elevation  of 
temple,  Nohku  Point. 


NOHKU  POINT. 

On  Nohku  or  Bird  Point,  just  outside  the  southern  end  of  Ascencion  Bay,  is 
a  small  temple  over  half  of  which  has  fallen  (fig.  172).  There  probably  were  two 
columns  in  the  doorway,  although  only  one  is  now  visible.  The  door  panel  and 
moldings  are  of  the  usual  east-coast  type  and  the  flat  ceiling  has  fallen. 

CHACMOOL. 

This  city  is  named  from  the  large  statue  in  front  of  the  principal  temple, 
which  belongs  to  the  type  thus  fancifully  named  by  Le  Plongeon.  The  ruins  are 
situated  some  three  or  four  hundred  yards  inland  from  a  small  harbor  just  north 
of  the  Point,  known  locally  as  Santa  Rosa.  The  principal  group  consists  of  an 
assemblage  of  nine  structures,  as  well  as  others  scattered  through  the  neighbor¬ 
ing  jungle.  Architecturally,  the  city  presents  little  that  is  new.  It  is  marked, 
however,  by  the  use  of  stone  columns  in  five  of  its  nine  buildings.  This  series 
represents  the  transition  from  the  vaulted  two-room  building  to  the  open  colon- 


161 


nade.  The  absence  of  lofty  substructures  is  also  noteworthy,  for  the  tallest 
in  the  city  is  only  5  feet  high.  Moldings  are  relatively  simple  and  in  keeping 
with  the  low,  squat  facades.  Every  indication  points  to  this  city’s  being  of  late 
date. 

The  survey  of  Chacmool,  made  in  1918,  makes  no  pretense  at  completeness, 
and  the  short  account  we  are  able  to  give  is  subject  to  correction  in  the  light  of 
further  field  work.1  We  have  not  reproduced  individual  ground-plans  from  this 
site,  but  these  may  be  seen  on  the  general  map  of  the  ruins  on  fig.  173. 


•  • 


Fig.  173. — Map  of  the  ruins  of  Chacmool. 


Structure  No.  /. — The  principal  temple  at  Chacmool  stands  on  a  low  terraced 
pyramid,  the  only  one  at  the  site.  On  the  west  side  are  badly  ruined  stairs. 
The  temple  stands  on  the  south  side  of  the  pyramid,  while  on  the  north  is  a  shrine 
(structure  2).  The  facade  (plate  27,  c)  is  adorned  by  one  rectangular  molding, 
and  the  sunken  panel  above  the  entrance  is  set  well  below  this.  Within  are  two 
vaulted  rooms  separated  by  masonry  piers;  the  capstones  of  the  vault  are  but  7 
feet  above  the  floor.  In  the  center  of  the  back  room,  in  place  of  the  customary 
altar,  is  what  appears  to  be  a  fireplace.  This  consists  of  a  niche  in  the  wall,  rising 
from  the  floor,  with  a  fire-wall  in  front  to  retain  the  embers.  Above  this  and  a 
little  to  the  left  is  another  recess,  into  the  upper  part  of  which  opens  a  window. 

1  Dr.  T.  W.  F.  Gann  recently  informed  the  writer  that  information  has  reached  Belize  that  the  center  of  this  city  lies 
about  half  a  mile  north  of  the  group  of  buildings  here  described. 


162 


Structure  No.  2. — On  the  northern  half  of  the  pyramid  supporting  structure  1 
is  a  shrine,  which  is  shown  on  plate  27,  c,  and  figure  174.  1  his  little  building 

has  four  doors  and  a  rectangular  molding.  The  interior  is  largely  occupied  by  a 
masonry  pier,  after  the  fashion  seen  at  Cacakal,  where  there  is  a  second  story. 


Perhaps  there  once  was  one  at  Chacmool,  but  it  must  have  been  of  perishable 
materials,  lor  no  trace  remains  to-day. 

Structure  No.  j. — In  front  of  the  stairway  ol  the  principal  temple  is  an  edifice 
which  serves  as  a  formal  arch  or  entrance.  It  is  a  small  rectangular  affair  with 
large  arched  doorways  in  line  with  the  steps.  Plate  27,  b,  shows  the  western  side, 
with  the  fagade  of  structure  1  in  the  background.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  walls 


flare  markedly  outward  and  that  the  vaulted  entrances  are  topped  by  a  sunken 
panel,  like  the  south  gate  in  the  Inner  Inclosure  at  Tulum. 

In  the  middle  ol  the  west  doorway  is  the  large  statue  from  which  the  city 
has  been  named,  lor  this  figure  is  ol  the  type  first  discovered  by  Le  Plongeon  at 
Chichen  Itza  and  by  him  called  Chacmool  in  honor  of  the  fanciful  hero  whom  he 


LOTHROP 


PLATE  27 


A,  structure  i,  Xelha.  B,  structures  i  and  2,  Chacmool.  C,  structure  3,  Chacmool. 


/ 


mimm  of  iumoi*  i»#»* 


believed  it  depicted.  These  statues  in  general  represent  a  man  lying  on  his  back 
with  knees  drawn  up  and  head  turned  to  the  right.  The  head  of  this  example 
has  been  broken  away,  and  the  bowl,  usually  clasped  in  the  hands  on  top  of  the 
body,  is  absent.  A  large  gorget  or  breastplate  is  suspended  from  the  neck,  and 
both  the  arms  and  legs  are  adorned  with  heavy  bands.  On  the  feet  are  sandals. 
This  figure  probably  is  not  cut  from  a  single  block  of  stone,  like  others  of  its  type, 
but  rather  consists  of  stucco  laid  over  a  stone  framework,  like  the  architectural 
bas-reliefs. 

The  earliest  statue  known  of  the  Chacmool  type  is  the  example  discovered 
by  Prolessor  M.  H.  Saville  at  Quirgua  and  now  in  New  York.  This  specimen  is 
cut  from  the  stone  used  at  Quirgua  for  the  stelae,  but  not  employed  in  the  temples 
erected  alter  the  dated  stelae.  From  this  fact  we  judge  the  type  to  be  early,  a 
surmise  confirmed  by  its  appearance  in  certain 
crude  statues  in  the  Guatemalan  Highlands  and 
elsewhere.1  The  distribution  is  extremely  wide, 
embracing  northern  Costa  Rica,  Salvador, 

Guatemala,  Yucatan,  and  central  Mexico.  In 
general  it  may  be  said  that,  although  a  purely 
Maya  conception,  they  are  usually  of  Toltec 
workmanship,  lor  most  examples  have  come 
from  regions  inhabited  by  the  Toltecs,  and  at 
Chichen  Itza  (where  several  other  specimens 
have  turned  up  since  Le  Plongeon’s  find)  they 
are  definitely  associated  with  Toltec  art.  We 
believe  that  the  type  was  borrowed  by  the 
Toltecs  from  the  Maya  and  centuries  later  was 
introduced  into  Yucatan  by  the  Toltecs.  The 
presence  of  the  statue  on  the  east  coast  is  proof 
ol  strong  Toltec  influence,  if,  indeed,  it  does  not  attest  the  presence  of  Toltec 
worshipers. 

Structure  No.  4. — Next  to  the  portal  covering  the  Chacmool  statue  is  a  small 
temple  which  faces  outward  from  the  substructure  of  temple  1.  It  contains  an 
inner  chamber,  which  appears  to  have  been  once  an  independent  building,  around 
three  sides  ol  which  has  been  built  a  corridor,  in  the  fashion  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Frescoes  at  Tulum  and  structure  10  at  Tancah.  The  outer  doorway  is  divided 
by  a  single  round  column,  one  of  the  few  instances  on  the  east  coast  where  door- 
columns  are  not  set  in  pairs.  The  capital  ol  the  column  is  square.  A  second 
door  leads  to  the  interior.  On  the  rear  wall  are  traces  of  stucco  figures. 

Structure  No.  5. — This  is  a  platlorm  mound  5  feet  high,  which  stands  in  line 
with  the  steps  of  temple  1,  but  more  distant  than  the  lormal  gateway.  It  has 
steps  on  the  east  and  west  sides.  Both  in  type  and  location  it  is  in  keeping  with 
the  platlorm  mounds  in  Iront  of  the  principal  temples  at  Tulum  and  Xelha. 


Fig.  177. — Cross-section  and  elevation 
of  structure  4,  Chacmool. 


1  These  crude  statues  are  known  to  be  early,  because  related  types  have  been  found  in  the  foundations  of  dated  stelae 
at  Copan.  See  S.  K.  Lothrop,  “The  Stone  Statues  of  Nicaragua,”  in  the  American  Anthropologist,  N.S.,  vol.  xxm,  1921. 


164 


Structure  No.  6. — This  temple  stands  beside  structure  i,  which  it  closely 
resembles.  Contiguous  to  it,  but  at  right  angles,  is  structure  7,  the  two  apparently 
forming  the  corner  of  a  courtyard.  Structure  6  is  a  low,  squat  building  with  a 
two-member  molding  (fig.  178).  The  lower  member  of  the  molding  has  been 


Fig.  178. — Facade  of  structure  6,  Chacmool. 


cut  away  from  the  door  to  give  space  for  the  usual  sunken  panel.  The  doorway 
is  divided  by  two  round  columns  with  square  capitals.  Lintels,  both  inside  and 
out,  are  of  wooden  beams.  Within  are  two  vaulted  rooms,  featureless  save  for 
an  altar  and  three  windows  in  the  back  room. 


5 

- 

~i - 

L 

J  L 

6 

J 

7 

0  5  10  15  Ft. 

I  I  I  II  I 

Fig.  179. — Plans  ot  structures  6  and  7,  Chacmool. 


Structure  No.  7. — Across  the  south  end  of  structure  6  a  large  single-roomed 
edifice  was  built,  which  to-day  has  crumbled  badly,  for  the  fiat  ceiling  has  fallen, 
carrying  away  with  it  a  large  part  of  the  side  walls.  The  principal  entrance, 
divided  by  two  columns,  is  in  the  north  facade,  and  there  is  a  doorway  in  the  west 
wall.  There  is  a  single  rectangular  molding  adorned  with  a  line  of  concentric 
circles.  The  interior  room  is  roughly  36  feet  long  and  10  feet  wide,  with  a  single 


165 


column  in  it,  unsymmetrically  placed,  which  may  have  been  a  later  introduction 
to  strengthen  the  ceiling,  like  the  column  and  pier  in  the  back  room  of  structure 
25  at  Tulum. 

Structure  No.  8. — At  the  west  end  ol  structure  7  is  a  shrine  with  one  doorway 
on  the  northern  side  and  a  rectangular  molding.  The  masonry  of  this  building 
is  unusually  crude. 

Structure  No.  9. — To  the  south  of  the  group  already  described  is  the  largest  and 
most  unusual  building  at  Chacmool,  a  columned  hall  with  two  open  sides.  The 
substructure  is  124  feet  long  and  59  feet  wide,  the  major  axis  running  east  and  west, 
and  the  building  itself  was  102  feet  long  and  30  feet  wide.  On  the  east  and  west 
ends  there  were  walls,  but  the  rest  ol  the  hall  was  supported  by  four  rows  of  columns. 
I'he  central  rows  have  ten  columns  and  the  outer  rows  eight.  In  the  east  wall  there 
is  a  door,  in  front  ol  which  are  two  columns.  There  is  also  one  column  in  front 
ol  the  building  at  the  east  end  of  the  north  facade.  The  flat  ceiling  of  this 
building  has  fallen,  carrying  with  it  part  ol  the  walls  and  many  of  the  columns 
themselves. 


c 

p 

0  5  10  Ft. 

I — I — I — I — I — l  « 

Fig.  180. — Elevation  of 
structure  8. 


0  5  10  20Ft. 

A  I  I  II - .  ■  I  —  J 

Fig.  1 8 1. — Plan  of 
temple,  Caliche 
Balam. 


CANCHE  BALAM. 

On  the  south  side  ol  Espiritu  Santo  Bay,  about  3  miles  from  the  lighthouse  on 
Herrero  Point,  is  a  site  known  locally  as  Canche  Balam.  At  this  place  is  a  small 
Maya  temple  standing  on  a  platform  5  feet  high.  The  walls  of  the  building  have 
fallen  above  the  level  ol  the  molding,  but  on  the  portion  still  standing  are  at  least 
nine  layers  of  plaster.  The  doorway  is  less  than  1.5  feet  wide  and  is  capped  by 
a  sunken  panel.  Various  plaster  layers  in  the  panel  showed  traces  ol  red  and  blue 
paint.  To  the  south  ol  the  door  several  imprints  ol  the  red  hand  are  seen  on  the 
outer  wall  ol  the  building. 

The  most  interesting  constructicnal  feature  is  the  back  wall,  which  is  extraor¬ 
dinarily  thick  and  is  prolonged  lor  a  lew  feet  beyond  one  end  ol  the  building. 
Its  function  is  not  clear,  but  probably  it  served  to  support  something  which  has 
now  fallen,  possibly  a  roof-comb  or  second  story. 

OTHER  RUINS. 

The  remains  which  have  been  described  are  those  examined  by  expeditions 
ol  the  Carnegie  Institution  or  ol  which  published  accounts  are  available.  Other 
unexplored  cities  are  known  to  exist.  One  ol  these  was  seen  from  the  sea  by  the 


166 


Carnegie  Institution  expedition  ol  1916  on  the  coast  to  the  north  of  Tulum  and 
Tancah.  We  had  lost  our  bearings  during  the  night  and  towards  morning  the 
lighthouse  on  Cozumel  came  into  view.  Our  boat  was  consequently  turned  towards 
the  mainland;  we  approached  the  shore  shortly  after  sunrise  and  soon  passed 


Fig.  182. — An  unnamed  ruin  north  of  Tulum. 


close  enough  to  a  pyramid  temple  to  secure  the  photograph  seen  on  figure  182. 
Howe’s  report  on  Tulum  speaks  of  ruins  at  Ina  and  Tamul.  The  former  is  on 
the  mainland  north  of  Playa  Carmen  and  the  latter  is  on  the  island  of  Cancuen, 
Large  jungle-buried  cities  also  are  said  to  lie  in  the  interior  and  are  known  only 
to  the  independent  Indians. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

We  have  now  described  in  detail  the  various  remains  on  the  east  coast  of 
Yucatan  and  shall  proceed  to  discuss  their  significance.  We  shall  first  distinguish 
the  east-coast  culture  as  a  whole  from  other  Maya  types  and  shall  then  discuss 
the  chronology  of  this  region  in  relation  to  other  parts  of  the  Maya  area  and  to 
Maya  history. 

ARCHITECTURE. 

The  buildings  ol  the  east  coast  in  a  general  way  resemble  those  of  other  parts 
of  Yucatan,  but  close  examination  discloses  many  differences.  In  the  first  place, 
we  find  an  absolutely  new  type  ol  building,  the  shrine,  which  is  quite  common 
and  at  certain  sites  appears  to  have  filled  an  important  place  in  the  religious 
organization.  The  shrine  probably  is  closely  related  to  the  sanctuary,  which  is 
also  a  common  east-coast  feature;  the  sanctuary  does  not  occur  in  other  parts  of 
Yucatan,  but  reappears  in  the  Usumacintla  Valley  in  the  neighborhood  of  Palenque. 

The  buildings  which  contain  sanctuaries  are  for  the  most  part  of  a  type 
peculiar  to  the  east  coast,  which  we  have  called  “palaces,”  in  the  belief  that  they 
served  as  residences.  The  ground  plan  of  these  edifices  shows  a  striking  similarity 
to  the  Palenque  temple,  but  structurally  there  is  a  difference.  The  essential 
feature  of  the  construction  is  the  use  of  a  flat  ceiling  supported  by  wooden  beams 
and  covered  with  a  rubble  cap.  Closely  associated  with  the  flat  ceiling  is  the 
presence  of  columns  in  the  doorways  and  also  in  the  interior  of  the  building. 
The  effect  of  these  innovations  is  that  the  rooms  are  much  wider  and  more  brilliantly 
illuminated  than  is  possible  with  the  vaulted  ceiling. 

Other  features  are  also  peculiar  to  east-coast  architecture.  Among  these  we 
should  mention  the  step  which  runs  completely  around  the  majority  of  the  build¬ 
ings,  whether  they  stand  upon  the  ground  or  on  lofty  artificial  substructures. 
Over  the  doorways,  practically  without  exception,  we  find  the  lintel  set  back  a 
few  inches  into  the  wall,  forming  a  sunken  panel;  the  relation  of  this  panel  to  the 
lower  molding  forms  one  of  our  criteria  for  stylistic  dating.  Above  the  sunken 
panel  and  directly  over  the  door  there  may  be  a  vertical  niche  containing  bas- 
relief  sculpture.  Small  figures  carved  in  the  round  are  sometimes  placed  on  the 
edge  of  the  roof.  Finally,  we  must  mention  certain  roofs  which  rise  in  terraces 
and  always  carry  a  roof-comb.  These  characteristics  which  we  have  enumerated 
are  all  peculiar  to  the  east  coast  and  serve  to  distinguish  it  from  other  parts  of 
the  Maya  area. 

In  estimating  the  general  merit  of  east-coast  architecture,  we  find  that  the 
buildings  lack  the  dignity  and  severity  of  line  which  are  seen  elsewhere.  In  general, 
the  elaboration — perhaps  we  should  say  the  over-elaboration — of  decorative  detail 
seen  on  Maya  edifices  is  lacking,  but  there  is  no  corresponding  gain  in  broadly 
achieved  effects  and  there  is  but  little  appreciation  of  the  value  of  mass.  The 
weakest  feature  is  perhaps  the  moldings,  which  often  do  not  harmonize  with  the 

167 


108 


facade.  To  sum  up,  in  a  word,  the  architecture  of  the  east  coast  is  in  all  ways 
thoroughly  provincial. 

SCULPTURE  AND  PAINTING. 

East-coast  sculpture  chiefly  takes  the  form  of  stucco  relief  executed  over  a 
framework  of  stone.  While  the  neatness  of  the  exterior  finish  and  the  abundant 
use  of  color  serve  to  make  a  presentable  product,  yet  this  art  decidedly  lacks  the 
boldness  of  line  and  vigor  of  presentation  which  we  associate  with  Maya  sculpture 
elsewhere.  Again  the  provincial  character  of  east-coast  art  is  apparent. 

Fi  •escoes,  however,  of  which  an  unusually  large  number  have  survived,  are 
painted  with  a  fine  quality  of  line  and  discriminating  use  of  color.  The  style  is 
evidently  restrained  by  the  customary  conventions  of  depicting  religious  subjects, 
so  that  it  is  perhaps  not  fair  to  make  comparisons  with  the  freely  rendered 
attitudes  of  the  Chichen  Itza  frescoes,  where  scenes  from  daily  life  are  depicted. 
We  should  rather  make  comparisons  with  the  three  surviving  Maya  codices,  in 
all  of  which  the  subject-matter  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  wall-paintings. 
Passing  judgment  on  this  basis,  we  find  that  the  east-coast  frescoes  rank  very 
high,  for  they  are  decidedly  superior  to  the  Madrid  codex,  certainly  equal  to  the 
Peresianus,  and  but  little  inferior  to  the  Dresden  codex,  which  at  present  is  regarded 
as  the  high-water  mark  of  Maya  religious  painting. 

CHRONOLOGY. 

COLONIZATION  PERIOD  (433-689  A.  D.). 

The  period  during  which  the  Maya  first  occupied  Yucatan  is  known  as  the 
Colonization  Period.  It  is  roughly  contemporaneous  with  the  Great  Period  of 
the  Old  Empire  cities  of  the  south  and  may  be  dated  in  the  time  system  then 
prevalent  from  9.13.0.0.0  to  10.6.0.0.0.  According  to  the  books  of  Chilam  Balam, 
the  first  settlements  were  made  in  the  province  of  Bachalal,  in  southeastern 
Yucatan,  and  at  Chichen  Itza,  in  the  north-central  part  of  the  peninsula.  Archae¬ 
ological  evidence  shows  that  the  entire  east  coast  was  colonized  at  this  time,  for  at 
Tulum  stela  1  bears  the  date  9.13.10.0.0,  and  on  Cozumel  Island  a  stylistically 
similar  stela  has  been  found. 

There  are  no  other  remains  of  this  period.  We  therefore  judge  that  the  new 
cities  were  small,  that  they  were  built  of  perishable  materials,  and  that,  like 
Chichen  Itza,  they  were  abandoned,  to  be  reoccupied  several  centuries  later. 

DARK  AGES  (689-985  A.  D.). 

No  remains  from  this  period  have  yet  been  discovered  on  the  east  coast. 
W  hatever  population  dwelt  there  can  scarcely  have  lived  on  a  high  plane  of  culture. 

PERIOD  OF  THE  LEAGUE  OF  MAYAPAN  (985-1201  A.  D.). 

This  epoch  witnessed  the  second  rise  to  greatness  of  the  Maya,  and  to  it 
must  be  attributed  some  of  the  most  splendid  architectural  remains  elsewhere 
in  Yucatan,  but  on  the  east  coast  there  is  comparatively  little  that  can  be  assigned 
to  it.  At  Tulum  no  edifice  still  stands  which  we  can  surely  date  from  this  time. 
Structure  59,  to  the  north  of  the  Great  Wall,  has  a  roof-comb  which  makes  it  seem 
comparatively  early,  but  in  other  respects  it  conforms  to  the  buildings  of  a  later 


169 


epoch.  We  are  perhaps  justified  in  placing  it  towards  the  close  of  the  period. 
Structure  57  nearby  also  seems  early;  so  there  is  ground  for  belief  that  an  early 
settlement  stood  outside  the  north  wall.  At  Tancah,  the  two  buildings  with  roof- 
combs  (structures  6  and  12),  the  lower  range  of  structure  1,  and  the  inner  room 
of  structure  10  may  all  date  from  this  period.  At  Xelha,  structures  1,2,  19,  and 
21  appear  equally  old.  We  believe  that  the  buildings  at  Tancah  and  Xelha  are 
older  than  those  at  Tulum,  because  they  lack  distinctly  Mexican  features,  which 
were  introduced  during  the  next  period,  and  especially  because  the  palace  type  of 
building  is  totally  absent.  Other  remains  of  the  epoch  are  perhaps  to  be  found 
on  Cozumel  and  include  the  walled-up  building  under  the  chief  temple  at  El  Meco. 

TOLTEC  PERIOD  (1201-1458  A.  D.). 

The  second  halt  of  the  Renaissance  in  Yucatan  is  marked  by  the  political 
dominance  ot  the  Cocomes,  lords  of  Mayapan,  and  by  the  advent  of  Mexican 
mercenaries  who  introduced  new  elements  ot  culture.  To  this  period  we  attribute 
the  majority  ot  east-coast  remains. 

The  Toltec  period  has  been  chiefly  studied  at  Chichen  Itza,  where  the  evidence 
ot  Mexican  occupation  is  historical  as  well  as  archaeological.  Spinden,1  in  analyz¬ 
ing  the  art  ot  that  city,  selects  the  tollowing  teatures  as  purely  Mexican  in  character: 


Architectural: 

a.  Serpent-columns  and  serpent-balustrades. 

b.  Openwork  decoration  on  top  of  temple-walls. 

c.  Sloping  or  battered  bases  of  temple-walls. 

d.  Platform  mounds  with  colonnades. 

e.  Flat  roots. 

/.  Ball-courts. 

g.  Atlantean  supports. 


Artistic  or  Religious: 

a.  “  Chacmool  ”  sculptures. 

b.  Sun-disks  and  “celestial  eyes.’’ 

c.  Speech-scrolls. 

d.  Feathered  monsters  in  front  view. 

e.  Processional  groupings  of  war¬ 

riors  with  identitving-glyphs. 


Some  ot  these  teatures  are  not  tound  on  the  east  coast,  and  it  is  perhaps 
noteworthy  that  the  architectural  forms  are  more  common  than  the  artistic  and 
religious. 

Serpent-columns  we  have  seen  at  Tulum  and  Nisucte  and  serpent-balustrades 
at  El  Meco.  These  torms  are  both  common  at  Chichen  Itza,  but  are  found  nowhere 
else.  The  closest  parallels  in  Mexico  are  the  huge  columns  excavated  at  Tula  by 
Charnay.  The  best-known  examples  at  Chichen  Itza  are  found  on  the  Castillo 
and  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers. 

Openwork  decoration  on  the  tops  of  the  walls,  such  as  that  seen  on  the 
Temple  of  the  Tigers,  has  not  been  reported  on  the  east  coast,  but  walls  with 
battered  bases  occur  in  the  upper  story  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  at  Tulum 
and  structure  4  at  Cancuen.  There  is  a  general  tendency  to  slope  the  walls  slightly 
outward  towards  the  top,  not  seen  in  pure  Maya  architecture  elsewhere. 

Flat  roofs  or,  more  correctly  speaking,  flat  ceilings,  often  combined  with  the 
use  of  interior  and  exterior  columns,  are  seen  at  Tulum,  El  Meco,  Cancuen,  El 
Cedral,  San  Benito,  and  Chacmool.  The  construction  of  these  ceilings  has  received 
comment  previously,  and  it  has  also  been  pointed  out  (fig.  5)  that  the  ground- 


1  1913,  PP*  2°5  ct  set/. 


170 


plans  of  the  buildings  which  contain  such  ceilings  show  a  continuous  development 
from  the  single-room  edifice  to  the  colonnade  without  walls.  The  history  of  this 
development  is  fully  illustrated  on  the  east  coast  and  serves  to  explain  the  great 
mound  at  Ake  and  the  group  of  the  columns  at  Chichen  Itza,  which  otherwise 
have  no  parallel  in  Yucatan. 

Ball-courts  are  not  found  on  the  east  coast,  and  the  single  example  of  Atlantean 
support,  at  San  Miguel  on  Cozumel  Island,  is  not  of  the  type  found  at  Chichen 
Itza. 

Of  Toltec  artistic  and  religious  features  we  have  the  Chacmool  statue  at  the 
ruins  of  the  same  name  and  an  example  of  the  so-called  celestial  eye  in  the  upper 
band  on  the  back  wall  of  the  Temple  of  the  Diving  God  at  Tulum  (plate  5,  b). 
The  other  features  selected  as  criteria  by  Spinden  are  not  seen.  There  are,  however, 
certain  other  Mexican  details  in  the  frescoes  which  it  would  be  unwise  to  call 
Toltec,  as  they  are  equally  characteristic,  if  not  more  so,  of  the  Aztec  period. 

The  great  majority  of  the  east-coast  buildings  exhibit  one  or  more  of  the 
Toltec  features  we  have  enumerated  or  else  have  stylistic  details  which  link  them 
to  the  edifices  which  definitely  belong  to  this  period. 

FINAL  PERIOD. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  distinguish  this  short  epoch  from  the  Toltec  period. 
It  appears  to  have  been  a  time  of  civil  war,  famine,  and  disease,  and  probably 
little  creative  work  was  undertaken. 

SEQUENCE  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 

Our  rapid  survey  of  the  various  historical  periods  developed  the  fact  that 
most  of  the  buildings  on  the  east  coast  date  from  the  end  of  the  period  of  the 
League  of  Mayapan  or  from  the  Toltec  period.  To  further  arrange  them  in  order 
we  must  abandon  our  attempt  to  classify  them  with  the  general  epochs  of  Maya 
history  and  examine  the  criteria  of  age  which  they  present  within  themselves. 
We  shall  chiefly  confine  our  discussion  to  the  ruins  of  Tulum  (afterwards  applying 
our  results  to  other  sites),  for  the  reason  that  there  we  have  a  large  series  of  build¬ 
ings  still  standing,  all  of  which  are  accurately  measured.  Our  methods  must 
include  an  especially  careful  examination  of  the  features  present  in  the  buildings 
showing  several  periods  of  construction. 

I.  Walls. — A  general  criterion  of  age  throughout  the  full  extent  of  Maya 
architecture  is  obtained  by  a  study  of  wall-space  in  relation  to  room-space.  Applied 
to  a  short  period  like  that  which  we  are  discussing,  this  ratio  loses  much  of  its 
force,  but  still  retains  some  importance.  In  a  general  way  the  east-coast  buildings 
which  are  believed  to  be  early  on  other  grounds  have  thick  walls  and  the  late 
buildings  have  thin  walls.  In  the  Castillo  at  Tulum  the  late  third  range  exhibits 
walls  notably  thinner  than  the  second  range  (fig.  41),  and  the  outer  shell  of  the 
Temple  of  the  Frescoes  also  is  thinner  than  the  now-inclosed  original  construction 
(fig.  70). 

II.  Doorways. — The  earlier  buildings  usually  have  single  doorways,  while  the 
later  buildings,  unless  very  small,  have  multiple  entrances  divided  by  columns. 


171 


This  is  seen  in  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  at  Tulum,  where  the  inner  room  (once 
the  entire  building)  has  had  a  column  introduced  in  the  door  and  the  outer  wall 
has  multiple  doorways.  It  is  also  illustrated  by  structure  io  at  Tancah. 

III.  Sunken  panels  over  the  doors . — The  sunken  panel  over  the  door  is  one  of 
the  most  constant  features  of  east-coast  architecture.  One  chronological  change 
may  be  seen:  early  examples  are  so  placed  that  they  touch  the  lower  molding, 
but  later  examples  are  from  2  to  6  inches  below  the  molding.  This  is  proved  by 
the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes  and  structure  21  at  Tulum,  buildings  to  which  ad¬ 
ditions  were  made  after  the  completion  of  the  original  building.  In  each  case  the 
sunken  panels  of  the  main  construction  touch  the  molding,  but  the  panels  in  the 
added  wings  are  a  few  inches  below  the  molding.  The  same  distinction  appears 
in  the  second  and  third  ranges  of  the  Castillo.  Here,  then,  is  an  important 
means  of  dividing  buildings  of  the  Toltec  period  into  two  groups. 

IV.  Ceilings . — The  usual  Maya  ceiling  was  an  overstepping  vault,  and  the 
flat  ceiling  did  not  come  into  use  until  the  Toltec  period.  We  have  adduced 
evidence  that  the  flat  ceiling  gave  trouble  before  the  abandonment  of  the  present 
ruins  and  that  in  two  cases  at  Tulum  (the  Castillo  and  Temple  of  the  Diving 
God)  flat-ceiling  rooms  were  filled  in  solid  and  vaulted  rooms  erected  above.  The 
vaulted  ceiling,  then,  was  either  early  or  very  late  and  the  flat  ceiling  was  used 
during  perhaps  the  greater  part  of  the  Toltec  period. 

V.  Moldings. — The  three-member  molding  (a  rectangular  band  flanked  by 
a  pair  of  triangular  bands)  is  par  excellence  the  form  typical  of  the  period  of  the 
League  of  Mayapan.  It  does  not  occur  at  Tulum,  and  wherever  it  is  seen,  as  at 
Tancah  and  Xelha,  the  buildings  thus  adorned  exhibit  roof-combs  or  thick  walls 
or  some  other  criterion  of  comparatively  great  age. 

The  two-member  molding  (a  rectangular  band  over  a  triangular  band) 
probably  develops  from  the  three-member  form.  At  Tulum  it  is  only  found  on 
buildings  of  the  first  part  of  the  flat-ceiling  period  and  elsewhere  it  is  only  rarely 
found  in  combination  with  the  vault. 

Of  the  double  moldings,  two  rectangular  bands  occur  on  some  of  the  very 
early  buildings,  such  as  59  at  Tulum,  and  again  on  very  late  edifices,  such  as  the 
third  range  of  the  Castillo.  Structure  25  is  the  only  palace  described  which  has 
this  type  of  molding. 

The  combination  of  a  rectangular  molding  placed  above  the  usual  two-member 
form  is  found  at  Tulum  on  the  early  vaulted  buildings  and  on  both  early  and  late 
fiat-ceiling  palaces,  but  not  on  the  late  vaulted  edifices. 

TULUM. 

The  results  obtained  by  applying  these  criteria  of  age  to  the  buildings  at 
Tulum  are  shown  on  the  accompanying  table. 

Group  I  is  made  up  of  the  early  vaulted  buildings  with  thick  walls  and  in 
one  case  with  a  roof-comb.  The  only  edifice  I  do  not  feel  certainly  belongs  here 
is  room  h  of  the  Castillo.  It  is  perhaps  noteworthy  that  with  two  exceptions — 
structure  11  and  the  interior  room  of  16 — all  the  buildings  in  this  group  are  placed 


172 


on  high  ground  overlooking  the  sea-cliff  and  that  they  are  all  small  and  contain  but 
one  room.  It  appears  that  they  represent  the  temples  of  a  time  when  the  city  had 
started  to  expand,  but  before  its  resources  were  sufficient  to  erect  large  buildings. 

Group  II  is  the  first  part  of  the  flat-ceiling  epoch  and  is  definitely  within  the 
Toltec  period.  It  is  distinguished  from  the  second  half  of  the  epoch  by  the  posi¬ 
tion  of  the  sunken  panels  above  the  doors.  During  the  vogue  of  this  style  the 
Inner  Inclosure  was  constructed  and  about  half  of  the  palaces  were  built,  thus 
laying  out  the  principal  streets  of  the  city.  The  small  buildings  with  flat  ceilings 
of  the  temple  class  were  all  put  up  at  this  time. 

Group  III  includes  four  additional  palaces — 20,  25,  44,  and  35 — and  several 
of  the  other  palaces  had  additional  wings  constructed. 


Table  showing  sequence  of  construction  at  Tulum. 


. 

Walls. 

Panel. 

Ceiling. 

Molding. 

Group  I: 

11,  16,  <?9. 

Thick. 

Touching  molding. 

Vaulted. 

A 

ilh  9,  45,  57- 

Thick. 

Touching  molding. 

Vaulted. 

B 

Group  II: 

><"/,  i.G  2,  3,  4,  5,  54- 

Medium. 

Touching  molding. 

Flat. 

C 

10,  'iia-c . 

Medium. 

Touching  molding. 

Flat. 

B 

Group  III: 

20,  21  de,  34,  35. 

Medium. 

Below  molding. 

Flat. 

B 

25- 

Medium. 

Below  molding. 

Flat. 

A 

Group  IV: 

lab,  16,  55,  56. 

Thin. 

Below  molding. 

Vaulted. 

A 

4  i  .f 


Group  IV,  the  final  phase  of  construction,  consists  of  vaulted  buildings  with 
thin  walls  and  the  sunken  panel  well  below  the  lower  molding.  In  this  group 
are  the  third  range  of  the  Castillo,  the  outer  shell  of  the  lower  story  and  also  the 
upper  story  of  16,  and  the  two  temples  on  the  Great  Wall.  It  is  generally  thought 
that  the  serpent-columns  at  Chichen  Itza  were  built  soon  after  the  coming  of  the 
Toltecs,  and  at  Tulum  it  may  be  argued  that  this,  the  last  period  of  construction, 
was  finished  a  long  time  before  Grijalva  saw  Tulum  in  1518. 

Over  half  the  architectural  remains  at  Tulum  are  platform  mounds.  From 
their  alinement  they  seem  coeval  with  the  palaces  of  the  flat-ceiling  epoch.  Tulum 
therefore  belongs  almost  wholly  to  this  period.  It  is  the  belief  of  the  writer  that 
the  major  part  of  the  city  was  erected  during  the  first  half  of  the  Toltec  period, 
or,  to  put  it  in  terms  of  our  own  chronology,  during  the  thirteenth  and  early 
fourteenth  centuries. 

We  have  postponed  our  discussion  of  the  age  of  the  Great  Wall  because  little 


173 


can  be  said.  Obviously  several  periods  of  construction  are  represented  by  what 
is  seen  to-day  (see  fig.  39),  and  it  is  therefore  probable  that  the  original  wall, 
now  the  inner  platform,  is  quite  old.  The  fact  that  the  main  street,  outlined  by 
flat-ceiling  buildings,  pierces  two  gateways  may  be  significant,  but  both  these 
gateways  are  vaulted,  while  the  northeast  gateway  near  the  Cenote  House  has 
a  flat  ceiling.  The  only  clearly  datable  features  are  the  two  temples  at  the  western 
angles,  which  unquestionably  are  of  the  same  period  as  the  top  of  the  Castillo  and 
therefore  extremely  late. 

TANCAH  AND  XELHA. 

Both  these  sites  are  quite  different  from  Tulum  and,  in  the  absence  of  the 
flat  ceiling,  most  of  the  criteria  applied  to  that  city  are  worthless.  We  have 
already  pointed  out  that  the  moldings,  roof-combs,  and  plaster  count1  all  indicate 
that  certain  edifices  date  from  the  period  of  the  League  of  Mayapan.  The  other 
buildings  may  well  have  been  built  not  so  very  long  afterwards,  especially  the 
pyramids  surmounted  by  anomalously  small  shrines,  for  these  pyramids  are 
stylistically  comparable  to  those  supporting  buildings  with  the  roof-comb.  This 
point  is  perhaps  important,  for  it  gives  a  clew  to  the  age  of  the  shrines,  for  which 
no  pertinent  data  were  obtained  at  Tulum. 

NISUCTE. 

The  presence  of  serpent-columns  places  this  site  in  the  Toltec  period. 

EL  MECO. 

This  site  also  belongs  definitely  to  the  Toltec  period,  owing  to  the  presence  of 
flat  ceilings,  colonnaded  halls,  and  serpent-balustrades. 

CANCUEN. 

The  highest  development  of  the  colonnaded  hall  yet  reported  on  the  east 
coast  is  from  this  island;  so  it  is  probable  that  the  ruins  date  from  well  on  in  the 
Toltec  period.  Structure  4  (fig.  160)  is  a  vaulted  edifice  with  a  battered  base  on 
the  exterior  walls,  stylistically  comparable  to  the  final  phase  of  construction  at 
Tulum  as  represented  by  the  upper  story  of  the  Temple  of  the  Frescoes. 

COZUMEL. 

The  ruins  of  San  Miguel  and  the  group  described  by  Prince  William  of  Sweden 
do  not  include  flat-ceiling  buildings,  but  it  would  be  rash  to  claim  that  they  were 
therefore  of  an  early  date,  especially  in  view  of  the  unusual  door-column  at  San 
Miguel.  On  the  other  hand,  both  El  Cedral  and  San  Benito  exhibit  extensive 
use  of  columns  and  flat  ceilings  and  may  be  definitely  assigned  to  the  Toltec  period. 

CHACMOOL. 

This  ruin  is  marked  by  the  presence  of  a  huge  colonnaded  hall  and  a  statue  of 
the  Chacmool  type,  both  indicating  the  Toltec  period.  Although  most  of  the 
buildings  are  vaulted,  none  of  them  appear  to  be  of  great  age.  The  panels  above 
the  doors  of  structures  1,  6,  and  8  are  several  inches  below  the  moldings.  This  we 
saw  to  be  a  late  feature  at  Tulum. 


1  Twenty-three  layers  of  plaster  were  found  on  the  interior  of  structure  io  at  Tancah. 


174 


ETHNIC  PROBLEMS. 

Our  data  on  the  original  settlement  of  the  east  coast  by  the  Maya  are  derived 
from  the  books  of  Chilam  Balam.  These  records  show  clearly  that  the  Itza  and 
the  Xiu  created  no  permanent  colonies,  and  we  therefore  remain  in  the  dark  as 
to  what  branch  of  the  Maya  people  formed  the  original  population. 

In  regard  to  the  Toltecs,  there  is  ground  lor  the  belief  that  some  ol  them 
actually  penetrated  to  the  east  coast.  In  the  first  place,  there  is  a  statement  in 
the  relacion  of  Alonso  Ponce,  previously  quoted  (p.  23),  that  the  Itza  maintained 
temples  near  Ascencion  Bay.  We  take  this  to  mean  that  they  claimed  over¬ 
lordship  of  the  region,  the  ancient  Zamabac.  If  this  was  so,  the  Toltecs  might 
easily  have  penetrated  to  the  coast  after  establishing  themselves  in  Chichen 
Itza,  especially  as  the  Itza  used  the  bay  as  a  port  for  trade  with  Honduras.  A 
second  argument  may  be  based  on  the  legal  document  quoted  on  page  9,  which 
states  that  “Mexicans”  settled  on  the  east  coast  in  the  Bacalar  region  and  towards 
Cozumel.  Finally,  archaeological  evidence  shows  strong  Toltec  influence  from 
Cancuen  and  El  Meco  in  the  north  to  Santa  Rita  in  British  Honduras  on  the 
south.  Only  Chichen  Itza  exhibits  more  definite  Toltec  influence  in  its  architecture. 
Furthermore,  while  architectural  features  may  be  borrowed  by  neighbors  who 
admire  the  style,  an  actual  idol,  like  the  Chacmool  figure  at  the  ruins  of  Chacmool, 
was  probably  set  up  by  the  hands  of  his  worshipers.  It  might,  indeed,  be  argued 
that  the  Chacmool  type  is  Old  Empire  Maya  and  therefore  descended  directly 
to  the  late  Maya,  but  the  style  of  most  of  these  figures  indicates  that  they  were 
erected  by  immigrants  from  Mexico. 

„  FUTURE  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  WORK. 

Another  field  season  or  two  can  be  spent  to  advantage  in  exploratory  work  of 
the  type  on  which  this  book  is  based,  after  which  it  will  be  necessary  to  penetrate 
to  the  interior  to  find  new  ruins.  The  difficulties  presented  by  the  Indian  popu¬ 
lation  are  fast  disappearing  and  no  trouble  need  be  anticipated  if  they  are  tactfully 
handled.  Future  expeditions  should  be  prepared  to  take  careful  measurements 
at  several  of  the  ruins  we  have  mentioned,  especially  the  Cozumel  ruins,  El  Meco, 
Nisucte,  Playa  Carmen,  and  Chacmool.  Cancuen  has  been  well  studied  by  the 
Peabody  Museum,  although  the  results  have  not  been  published.  A  feature  to 
which  especial  attention  should  be  paid  is  the  use  of  color  on  walls,  and  particu¬ 
larly  frescoes.  To  recover  these  it  is  necessary  to  spray  the  walls  to  bring  out 
the  colors — probably  a  celluloid  solution  would  be  valuable  for  this  purpose — 
for  the  lines  are  often  too  indistinct  to  be  traced,  and  direct  sketching  is  not 
satisfactory,  unless  intrusted  to  a  highly  trained  artist. 

Excavation  should  prove  both  easy  and  profitable  at  Tulum;  in  cleaning 
stairways  for  photography  we  encountered  numerous  fallen  fagade  ornaments. 
Vaulted  tombs  in  large  numbers  apparently  are  to  be  found  in  the  platform 
mounds.  The  few  that  we  opened  had  been  disrupted  by  falling  vaults  or  the 
growth  of  trees,  and  while  we  found  but  little  inside,  most  Maya  tombs  are  rich 
in  objects  accompanying  the  burial.  In  the  course  of  future  excavations  an 
endeavor  should  be  made  to  close  the  long  gap  between  the  date  indicated  by 
stela  1  at  Tulum  and  the  period  of  erection  of  the  buildings  now  standing. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  OP  THE  EAST  COAST  OE  YUCATAN. 

The  list  of  books  given  below  includes  the  source  material  which  the  student  must 
consult  to  obtain  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  archaeology,  history,  and  modern  eth¬ 
nology  of  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan.  It  is  a  minimum  rather  than  a  maximum  list,  and 
we  have  excluded  works  giving  casual  references  or  quotations,  as  'well  as  books  alluded 
to  in  the  text  for  comparative  purposes.  Data  sufficient  to  identify  such  will  be  found  in 
footnotes.  The  editions  cited  in  each  are  those  which  the  author  has  consulted. 

The  relative  value  of  individual  contributions  has  been  discussed  at  various  places 
previously  in  connection  with  special  topics.  The  literature  of  the  subject  is  neither 
bulky  nor  complex  enough  to  merit  further  discussion. 


Aldherre,  F. 

1869.  Estadistica  y  historia  contemporanea.  Los  Indios 
de  Yucatan.  In  Boletin  de  la  Sociedad  Mexi- 
cana  de  geografia  y  estadistica.  2  epoca. 
Tomo  1. 

Allen,  Bird. 

1841.  Sketch  of  the  eastern  coast  of  Central  America, 
compiled  from  the  notes  of  Captain  Richard 
Owen  and  the  officers  of  her  majesty’s  ship 
Thunder  and  schooner  Lark.  By  Captain  Bird 
Allen,  R.  N.  In  Jour.  Royal  Geog.  Soc. 
Ancona,  Eligio. 

1905.  Historia  de  Yucatan  desde  la  epoca  mas  remota 

hasta  nuestros  dias.  5  vols.  Barcelona. 
Arnold,  Channing,  and  F.  J.  Y.  Frost. 

1909.  The  American  Egypt.  A  record  of  travel  in 
Yucatan.  London. 

Bancroft,  H.  H. 

1883-1885.  History  of  Mexico.  5  vols.  San  Francisco. 
Baqueiro,  Serapio. 

1871-1873.  Historia  de  las  revoluciones  de  Yucatan 
desde  el  ano  1840  hasta  1804.  Merida. 
Bienvenida,  Lorenzo  de. 

1877.  Carta  de  Fray  Lorenzo  de  Bienvenida  a  S.  A. 

Principe  Don  Felipe,  dandole  cuenta  de  varios 
asuntos  a  la  provincia  de  Yucatan.  10  de 
febrero  de  1548.  In  Cartas  de  Indias,  pp. 
70-87. 

Brinton,  D.  G. 

1882.  The  Maya  chronicles.  Brinton’s  Library  of  Abo¬ 

riginal  American  Literature.  No.  1.  Phila¬ 
delphia. 

Carilj.o  v  Ancona,  Crescencio. 

1871.  Compendio  de  la  historia  de  Yucatan.  Merida. 

1883.  Historia  antigua  de  Yucatan.  Merida. 

Cartas  de  Indias. 

1877.  Cartas  de  Indias.  Publicalas  por  primera  vez  cl 
Ministro  de  Fomento.  Madrid. 

Catherwood,  F. 

1844.  Views  of  ancient  monuments  in  Central  America, 
Chiapas,  and  Yucatan.  London. 

Charnay,  D. 

1906.  Les  Ruines  de  Tuloom  d’apres  John  L.  Stephens. 

In  Jour.  Soc.  des  Americanistes  de  Paris. 
Third  series.  Vol.  hi,  pp.  191-195. 

CoLECCION  DE  DoCUMENTOS. 

1864-1884.  Coleccion  de  documentos  ineditos  relatives 
al  descubrimiento,  conquista  y  colonizacion  de 
las  posesiones  espanolas  en  America  y  Oce¬ 
ania,  sacados,  en  su  mayor  parte,  del  Real 
Archivos  de  Indias,  bajo  la  direccion  de  los 
Sres.  J.  F.  Pacheco,  F.  de  Cardenas  y  L. 
Torres  de  Mendoza.  42  vols.  Madrid. 


Coleccion  de  Documentos. 

1885-1900.  Coleccion  de  documentos  ineditos  relati¬ 
ves  al  descubrimiento,  conquista  y  organiza- 
cion  de  las  antiguas  posesiones  Espanolas  de 
Ultramar.  Segunda  Serie.,  Publicada  por  la 
Real  Academia  de  Historia.  13  vols.  Madrid. 

Curioso. 

1845.  Una  ciudad  murada.  In  Registro  Yucateco. 
Vol.  1,  pp.  206-208.  Merida. 

Davila,  Alonso. 

Relacion  de  lo  sucedido  a  Alonso  Davila, 
contador  de  Su  Magestad  en  Yucatan,  en  el 
viaje  que  hizo  para  pacificar  y  poblar  aquclla 
provincia.  (Junio  de  1533.)  In  Coleccion  dc 
documentos  ineditos,  first  series,  vol.  xiv,  pp. 
97-128. 

Diaz  de  Castillo,  Bernal. 

1908-1916.  The  true  history  cf  the  Conquest  of  New 
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Fancourt,  C.  St.  J. 

1854.  The  history  of  Yucatan.  London. 

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1877.  Extracts  from  a  communication  of  Dr.  Le  Plon¬ 
geon  to  the  Honorable  John  W.  Foster,  Mini¬ 
ster  of  the  United  States  at  Mexico,  dated 
Island  of  Cozumel,  May  1,  1877.  In  Salis¬ 
bury,  Dr.  Le  Plongeon  in  Yucatan. 

Lizana,  Bernardo  de. 

1893.  Historia  de  Yucatan.  Mexico. 

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1915.  Cozumel,  a  Mexican  island.  Bull.  Pan-American 

Union.  August. 

Lopez  Cogolludo,  Diego. 

1867-1868.  Historia  de  Yucatan,  ed.  3,  2  vols.  Merida. 
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1896.  Historia  del  descubrimiento  y  conquista  de  Yuca¬ 
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1904-1913.  Historia  de  Yucatan  durante  la  dominacion 
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of  Washington.  Pp.  337~339- 

1917.  The  ruins  of  Tuloom,  Yucatan.  American  Mu¬ 

seum  Journal.  March.  Pp.  191-204. 

1918.  In  Year  Book  No.  17  of  the  Carnegie  Institution 

of  Washington.  P.275. 

1920.  The  inscriptions  at  Copan.  Carnegie  Institution 
of  Washington  Pub.  219. 

1922.  In  Year  Book  No.  21  of  the  Carnegie  Institution 
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Oviedo  y  Valdez,  Gonzalo  Fernandez  de. 

1851-1855.  Historia  general  y  natural  de  las  Indias, 
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Pech,  Nakuk. 

1882.  The  chronicle  of  Chicxulub.  In  Brinton,  1882. 
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1883.  Carta  de  D.  Juan  P.  Perez  a  D.  Vicente  Calero 

Quintana.  In  Carillo  y  Ancona,  1883.  Pp. 
591-592. 

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1845.  Vol.  1.  Merida. 


Relacion  Breve. 

1875.  Relacion  breve  y  verdadera  de  algunas  cosas  de 
las  muchas  que  sucedieron  al  padre  Fray 
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Espana  ....  escrita  por  dos  religiosos,  sus 
companeros.  2  vols.  Madrid. 

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1877.  Dr.  Le  Plongeon  in  Yucatan.  His  account  of 
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1879.  Terra  cotta  figure  from  Isla  Mugeres,  north¬ 
east  coast  of  Yucatan.  Reprinted  from  the 
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Sanchez,  Pedro,  and  Salvador  Toscano, 

1919.  Breve  resena  de  una  expedicicn  en  Quintana  Roo 
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1900.  Informe  contra  idolorum  cultores  del  obispado  de 
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1922.  Between  two  continents. 


INDEX. 


Acomal,  24,  143 
Ah-cuzamil-peten,  1 52 
Ahulneb,  153 
Ah  Naum  Pat,  17,  153 
Ake,  29,  33,  36 
Aku,  18 
Altars,  26,  32 
Am,  153 

Arguelles,  Ambrosio  de,  23 
Ascencion  Bay,  5,  22,  23 
Assemblage  ol  buildings,  26 
Bachalal,  8,  n,  19,  20,  168 
Belma,  11,  17 
Building  materials,  27 
Cacakal,  5,  29,  159,  160,  162 
Cachi,  17 

Canche  Balam,  5,  165 

Cancuen,  4,  5,  46,  150,  158,  169,  173,  174 

Caras  gigantescas,  49 

Genial,  8,  9 

Ceremonial  bar,  42,  58 
Chable,  11,  19,  20 
Chac,  52,  80 
Chacchob,  69 

Chacmool,  5,  23,  2?f,  31,  49,  147,  150,  160-165,  169, 
i73,  174 
Chacmool: 

Structure  1:  161 
Structure  2:  162 
Structure  3:  162,  163 
Structure  4:  163 
Structure  5:  163 
Structure  6:  164 
Structure  7:  164,  165 
Structure  8:  165 
Structure  9:  165 
Chacmultun,  33,  51 
Chamlacao,  10,  22 
Champoton,  14 
Chan  Santa  Cruz,  11,  24,  159 
Chequitaquil,  11,  19 
Chetumal,  10,  12,  13,  18,  19,  21,  22 
Chichen  Itza,  9,  10,  23,  27,  28,  29,  31,  33,  36,  37, 
Si,  52,  75,  77,  95,  112,  113,  122,  146,  162,  163, 
168,  169,  170,  172,  174 
Chikincenote,  n 

Chilam  Balam,  books  of,  7,  8,  11,  42,  168,  173 

Choaca,  12,  17,  21 

Chronology,  5,  168-173 

Chun  Pom,  24,  32 

Qigia,  18 

C^ieca,  Francisco  de,  21 
(Jingimato,  17 
Cipactli,  53,  80 


Cochua,  10,  11,  12,  19,  20,  21 
Cochua,  Desiderio,  11 
Cochua,  Nacahun,  11 
Columbus,  Christopher,  13 
Columns,  32,  121 
Conil,  12,  17,  20 
!  Contoy,  4 
Copan,  7,  26,  43,  44 
Corn  god,  47,  54,  55,  56,  57,  59 
Corn  symbols,  57,  58 
Cortes,  Herman,  16,  18 

Cozumel,  4,  5,  14,  16,  17,  21,  22,  26,  62,  63,  150, 
152-159,  169,  i74 
Cozumel  stela,  9,  43,  46,  168 
Dancing  figures,  59 
Davila,  Alonso,  18,  19,  20 
Decoration  of  buildings,  39 
De  Solis,  13 
Diaz,  Bernal,  14,  148 
Diaz,  Juan,  14,  64,  74,  81,  120 
Diving  god,  46,  47,  56,  59,  77,  98 
Doors,  30,  170 
Dsecilna,  156 
Dsehkabtun,  33 
Dsibiltun,  117 
Eecatl,  58 
Ekab,  11,  23 
Ek  Box,  23 

El  Cedral,  5,  152,  156,  157,  169,  173 
El  Meco,  5,  27,  28,  33,  50,  75,  144-147,  169,  i73, 
1 74 

Flat  ceilings,  34,  121,  167,  169,  171 
Floors,  30 
Flying  fagade,  38 

Frescoes,  39,  50-61,  80,  85,  93,  98,  105,  116,  168 
God  A,  47 

God  B,  47,  54,  55,  56,  58,  59,  80 
God  C,  S3,  57,  58 
God  D,  47,  52,  54,  55,  58,  59,  60 
God  K,  52,  54,  56,  57,  58,  59 
Gran  Cairo,  14 

Grijalva,  Juan  de,  14,  15,  74,  155,  172 

Ground-plans,  29 

Guanaja,  13 

Guaymil,  10,  11,  19,  20 

Guerrero,  Gonzalo,  14,  18,  19 

Hernandez  de  Cordoba,  Francisco,  13,  18 

Hoya,  11 

Ilametecutli,  57 

Imipete,  11,  20 

Ina,  166 

Itzamna,  54,  153 
Ixchel,  153 
Iximche,  68 


178 


I xmul  (Ichinul) ,  1 1 
Izamal,  49 
Kabah,  33,  75 
Kahuil,  Juan,  9 
Kanpocolche,  1 1 
Kantunil,  5,  147,  148 
Kewick,  51 
Knot  goddess,  58 
Kukulcan,  52,  80,  113 
Labna,  33,  75 
La  Honradez,  38 
Loche,  18 

Long-Nosed  god,  52,  53 
Maia,  13,  18 
Macanaho,  11,  19,  20 
Manikin  scepter,  53,  59,  80 
Masonry,  29 

Maya,  as  geographical  term,  xo 
Maya  civilization,  origin  and  development  of,  7 
Mayapan,  9,  25,  33,  36,  43,  44,  113 
Mayapan,  League  of,  9,  118,  121,  122,  136,  168, 
169,  170,  173 
Mitla,  31,  36,  51,  69,  95 
Mochi,  11 

Moldings,  37,  121,  171 

Montejo,  Francisco  de,  17,  18,  19,  20,  133 

Motul  de  San  Jose,  59 

Mugeres,  4,  5,  14,  27,  62,  148,  149 

Mugeres,  Punta  de,  14,  16,  148 

Nakum,  27 

Niches,  38 

Nisucte,  5,  50,  143,  144,  169,  173,  174 

Nocuchich,  49 

Nohenial,  8,  9 

Nohku,  5,  160 

Olid,  Cristobal  de,  15 

Oycen,  152 

Oycib,  152 

Pacheco,  Alonso,  21 

Pacheco,  Caspar  de,  21 

Palaces,  25,  12 j,  167 

Palenque,  7,  25,  32,  39,  54,  59 

Pecos,  69 

Pinzon,  13 

Pirates,  22,  23 

Plaster  renewal,  40,  80,  123 

Platform  mounds,  26 

Playa  Carmen,  5,  143,  174 

Pole,  11,  21 

Quirigua,  7,  59,  163 

Red  Hand,  60,  94,  126 

Repairs,  39 

Roof-comb,  38 

Roofs,  38 

Sacsahuaman,  69 

Salamanca  de  Bacalar,  21,  22,  24 

Salamanca  (de  Xelha),  17 


San  Benito,  5,  136,  157,  158,  173 

San  Miguel,  5,  34,  136,  152,  154-156,  170,  08 

Santa  Rita,  51,  55,  58,  59,  174 

Santa  Rita  ranch,  154 

Santa  Rosa  Xlabpak,  28,  75 

Sayil,  28,  33 

Sculpture  in  the  round,  49,  50,  82,  111,  112,  168 

Serpent-balustrade,  28,  169 

Serpent-columns,  33,  169 

Shrines,  26,  121,  135,  167 

Stairways,  28 

Stelae,  41-46 

Stucco  relief  sculpture,  46-49,  77,  79,  80,  81,  85, 
88,  93,  94,  95,  97,  103,  104,  105,  117 
Substructures,  27 

Sunken  panel  over  door,  30,  31,  171 
Tabi,  11,  21 
Tamul,  152,  166 

Tancah,  5,  23,  25,  26,  27,  29,  38,  46,  64,  119,  120- 

i33,  135,  i37,  139,  158,  171,  03 
Tancah : 

Structure  1:  121-123,  169 
Structure  2:  123 
Structure  3 :  124 
Structure  4:  124 
Structure  5:  124 
Structure  6:  125,  126,  169 
Structures  7-9:  126 
Structure  10:  126-128,  163,  169 
Structure  1 1 :  128 

Structure  12:  50,  129,  130,  169  . 

Structure  13—15:  130 
Structure  16:  130,  13 1 
Structures  17-22:  13 1 
Structure  23 :  132 
Tancah  cave,  12 1,  132,  133 
Tankuche,  51 
Teel  Cuzam,  153 
Tenampua,  68 
Temples,  25 
Tihosuco,  8,  1 1 
Tikal,  7,  27,  29 
Toltec  or  Mexican  period  in  Yucatan,  6,  7,  9,  29, 
33,  37,  121,  123,  136,  163,  169,  170,  171,  173, 
04 

Tonatiuh,  47 
Tulma,  n,  19 

Tulum,  5,  15,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28,  29,  30,  31, 
39,  64-119,  121,  122,  163,  169 
Tulum : 

Castillo,  26,  32,  48,  49,  50,  51,  52,  54,  57,  62,  63, 
66,  72,  74-8i,  145,  146,  147,  170,  1 7 1,  172 
Cenote  House,  67,  71,  109-1 11,  113,  172 
Great  Wall,  28,  66,  68-  74,  109,  115,  134,  172 
Inner  Inclosure,  67,  89-91 
Lesser  Wall,  74 
Stela  i:  9,  41-43,  86,  168,  174 


179 


Tu  1  u  m — Co  nti  n  ued. 

Stela  2:  43,  44,  91 

Stela  3:  44,  m 

Stela  4:  45,  96 

Stela  5:  45 

Stela  6:  45 

Stela  7:  46 

Stela  8:  46 

Structure  2:81,82 

Structure  3 :  82,  83 

Structure  4:  83,  84 

Structure  6:  86 

Structure  7 :  86 

Structure  8:  86 

Structure  10:  88,  90 

Structure  1 1 :  88,  90 

Structure  12 :  88,  91 

Structure  13 :  91 

Structure  14:  91 

Structure  15:  91 

Structure  17:  96 

Structure  18:  97 

Structure  19:  97 

Structure  20:  40,  50,  97-99,  172 

Structure  21:  34,  50,  99-102,  171 

Structure  22 :  102 

Structure  23:  102 

Structure  24:  102 

Structure  25:  48,  50,  102-106,  171,  172 
Structures  26-32:  106-108 
Structure  33.:  108 
Structure  34:  108,  109,  172 
Structure  36:  in 
Structures  37  and  38:  hi 
Struc^hres  39-41 :  111,112 
Structures  42-44:  113 
Structure  45:  113,  114 
Structures  46-48:  114 
Structure  49:  114 
Structure  50:  114 
Structures  51-53:  114 
Structure  54:  114,  115 
Structure  55:  48,  50,  72,  115-117 
Structure  56:  72,  118 
Structure  57:  118,  169 
Structure  58:  118 
Structure  59:  118,  119,  168,  171 
Temple  ol  the  Diving  God,  31,  50,  51,  52,  57, 
60,  84-86,  89,  94,  1 16,  1 5 1,  170,  17 1 


Tul  u  m —Conti  n  ued. 

Temple  of  the  Frescoes,  48,  49,  50,  51,  56-61, 
77,  91-96,  1 1 6,  150,  163,  169,  171, 172, 173 
Temple  of  the  Initial  Series,  48,  86-88,  90 
Tulum  Playa,  5,  120 
Tzula,  51 

Uluumil  cuz  etel  cell,  10 
Utatlan,  68 

Uxmal,  9,  27,  39,  51,  112,  129,  136 

Valdivia,  13,  14,  18 

Vaulted  ceilings,  36,  17 1 

Velasquez,  Diego,  14,  15 

Villa  Real,  19,  20 

Walls,  29,  30,  170 

Windows,  32 

Xamanzana,  1 1 

Xcalumkin,  33 

Xcanalchen,  33 

Xelha,  5,  11,  17,  25,  26,  27,  36,  39,  69,  71,  121 
124,  133-143,  I47>  158,  163,  171,  173 
Xelha: 

Structure  1:  36,  136-138,  169 
Structures  2-5:  138,  169 
Structure  6:  138,  139 
Structures  7-10:  139 
Structure  n:  139,  140 
Structures  12-16:  140 
Structures  17-20:  141 
Structure  21:  1 41,  142,  169 
Structures  22-25:  142 
Structures  26-28:  142,  143 
Structure  29:  143 
Xelha  lagoon,  133 
Xelha  wall,  134 
1  Xkichmook,  51 
Yaxchilan,  32 
Yucatan,  east  coast: 

Colonization  of,  8,  168 
Dark  Ages,  168 
Geology  of,  3 

Literature  on  Conquest,  t6 
Mexican  settlers,  9 
Yum  Kaax,  56 
Yunpeten,  n,  19 
Zama,  n,  13,  64,  65 
Zamabac,  n,  174 
Ziyan  caan,  8,  n 
Zotula,  11,  12 


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